Review on paying to park...

Plans to introduce Sunday parking charges are being considered in Redcar and Cleveland. The borough says charging for Sunday parking is one of several options now out to public consultation. Sunday charging is proposed in pay and display car parks and on-street, short-stay pay and display places. Existing tariffs would apply, with a £1 Sunday tariff in long-stay car parks.The measure was among several outlined in a public notice. Seasonal charges at Saltburn promenade and the Cat Nab car park would be imposed all year round. Cabinet member for strategic planning, development and infrastructure, Councillor Eric Empson said: "We are looking at all parking throughout the borough and seeing where we can regularise some of the systems we have in place." He said there were "some anomalies" they hoped to iron out.He added: "I don't think it will stop people coming." Details of the proposals are in statutory notices in the Gazette, Herald and Post and Eston Town Hall.


* Comments need to be in writing by today to Richard Frankland, Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services).

Disinformation:Fire in the Eye

To start the New Year off with a bang, Saltburn Artists' Projects is presenting 'Fire in the Eye (Painting with Electricity)', a highly interactive sound and light installation by the artists group Disinformation. This exhibition will allow members of the public to photograph their own shadows on a wall painted with phosphorescent paint - the substance that makes all glow-worms glow. The installation will also let visitors 'draw with light' directly onto the gallery wall with small torches. These portraits, graffiti and doodles will gradually fade, allwoing the next group to join in the fun.
The preview takes place at the gallery on Friday 19th January, from 7 -9.00pm. The exhibition continues until 11th March.
The Artists Project will host two days of shadow-puppet workshops during half-term. The workshops will give children aged 8 and over a chance to design a puppet and take it home with them. The workshops will take place from 10.00am -12 noon and from 1-3pm on Tuesday 20th and Thursday 22nd February.

Rust-red rivers and iron ore

Saltburn photographer, Bob Mitchell, has captured the glory and decline of Cleveland's industrial heritage in a series of dramatic photographs. Scouring the East Cleveland hillsides for abandoned ironstone mines the 26 year old photographer found the crumbling remains of some of the 83 mines - including Brotton's Lumpsey Mine - which between them produced 360 tons of iron ore in their lifetime. Bob, who grew up in Brotton, said his work stood as a tribute to the men who toiled to dig iron ore by hand from the Cleveland Hills, from the mid nineteenth century until the last mine closed at North Skelton in 1964.
Little now remains of the industry other than a few buildings and the rust-red rivers which hint at the story behind the ironstone mines which once powered the nation's industrial might.
Bob's 'Iron and Steel' exhibition will be on show in Preston Hall Museum until January 27th

Cliff path re-opens

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council has completed work to reopen the footpath which links Saltburn's Marine Parade to the lower promenade. The £30,000 scheme, undertaken by the Council's highways partner, Alfred McAlpine, has included replacing damaged steps, repairing the handrails and permanently closing off obsolete parts of the footpath. After violent storms in 2000 landslips forced the closure of the two footpaths from Marine Parade to the lower promenade, opposite Emerald Street and Pearl Street, to the general public. The Council commissioned geotechnical advice that recommended the footpath opposite Emerald Street could be re-opened following remedial works, but the footpath opposite Pearl Street should be permanently closed due to the continued danger from landslips. Work on the footpath opposite Emerald Street started in October and was completed last month, removing the landslip material from the existing steps, re-grading the slopes and removing the overgrown vegetation from the steps. Now more repairs on the steps have been carried out to allow the footpath to reopen. The Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism Councillor Dave Fitzpatrick said:"Now I'm sure the restoration of the path will be appreciated by everyone and is also bound to be a real asset in the summer, adding another access route from Marine Parade to the prom."

Controversy over the Pearl Street access will continue as many residents believe that the landslip problems can be overcome in much the same way as they have been in nearby Whitby if the Council was prepared to recognise the need for continued support in developing the sea front as a major asset for the town rather than allow the years of neglect to continue.

Have your say...

The next round of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council's Area Environment Committees, part of the Council’s bid to make the Borough ‘cleaner, greener and safer’, include a Public Open Forum, an hour-long session set aside for question time, specific topics of discussion, and the submission of petitions and ideas for future decisions.

Written questions can be posted to the Council’s Community Development Manager Julian Feakes at Fairway House, Limerick Road, Dormanstown TS10 5JU or by e-mail to julian_feakes@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk.

Dates and venues, all with 6pm starts:

• Redcar: Wednesday, January 10 at Redcar Education Development Centre, Corporation Road.
• ONE (Ormesby, Normanby, Eston): Tuesday, January 16 at George Sickling Community Centre, Allendale Road, Ormesby.
• East Cleveland (Marske, New Marske, Saltburn, Skelton): Wednesday, January 17 at Gleneagles Community Centre, New Marske.
• GaTeS (Grangetown, Teesville, South Bank): Monday, January 22 at Grangetown Neighbourhood Centre.
• Guisborough (including Charltons, Margrove Park, Boosbeck): Tuesday, January 23 at Stump Cross Community Centre.
• Kilton (Loftus, Lockwood, Brotton): Wednesday, January 24 at Moordale Court Community Centre, Lingdale.

Have a go, sport

Didgeridoo enthusiasts are inviting people wanting to learn more about the instrument to get involved in Saltburn Didge Club.The club, which has been running for three years, has around 30 members, ranging from teenagers to people in their mid-50s, but they have now launched a membership push.Christmas celebrations have also been planned by the group, with a party at 7.30pm on Friday, December 15, at Saltburn Community Hall.Musician Kevin Serginson, who is also a primary school teacher, said: "We teach people to play the instrument, give advice on buying didgeridoos and also have performances.The group meets on the third Friday of each month at Saltburn Community Hall. For details call 01287 205021, email kev.serg@ntlworld.com or visit www.didgethings.co.uk/saltburn

Party Time at the new Children's Centre

Saltburn's new Children's Centre will be officially opened on Thursday, December 14 - the centre is already a success with families in the community. The afternoon celebrations will feature music from Huntcliff School woodwind band, Saltburn Primary School choir and a Christmas party in the centre, with Santa in his grotto, a disco, magician and storyteller.
The Centre, built on the Huntcliff site, began welcoming families in June and hosts a 45 place daycare setting, training room and adjacent children's room as well a three health clinics and two small meeting rooms. It offers family fun sessions, training courses and counselling services in an accessible one-stop shop for family services. The nursery for under-5s is run by Rosedene Nurseries, the Tees Valley’s longest-established pre-school care and learning provider. Staff include nursery nurses, health visitors, school nurses, a children’s physiotherapist, a podiatrist, Sure Start community workers and administration staff.Centre manager Linda Bulmer said: "The number of families registered with us from Saltburn alone is 154. We have nearly 600 altogether, which includes families from Guisborough, Skelton, Lingdale and Boosbeck. We wanted to make the official launch something really special. We knew a Christmas Party theme would be just what our children and families wanted and, after all, that is what Sure Start is all about."




Local radio personality Stewart McFarlane MBE and two-year-old Charriss Savory shared the ribbon-cutting duties with Santa at the offical opening of the Children's Centre.