In this week’s Mercury:
An appeal has been made for donations to a scheme which aims to ensure those in need this Christmas are not forgotten
Artist Steve Messam has unveiled his latest eyecatching project in the upper dale
Efforts have begun to record a Barney version of Live Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas
A retired magistrate has described the moment he came face-to-face with the Yorkshire Ripper
Film maker Phoebe Lorenz has launched an online appeal in an effort to complete her debut feature
Stonemason Phil Townsend has transformed an “odd lump of stone” into a seat at a dale beauty spot
A company which specialises in making corporate films has opened its new HQ in Barney
Highways officials have said they will listen to all concerns from residents in Startforth and Barnard Castle about the impact of the A66 dualling project
The Richardson Hospital has taken delivery of a new piece of kit thanks to the efforts of its Friends group
A cow bred at Raby Castle has taken top honours in the Northern Longhorn Breeders’ Club show
A revamped children’s play park in Middleton-in-Teesdale has closed again while safety issues are addressed
In sport, spinner Karl Carver has signed on for a second season at Barnard Castle CC
Plus… Remember When tells the story of Charlotte Murchison; Jill Cole takes part in this week’s Q&A; there’s all your community news; readers’ letters; family announcements; Bob Garton’s quiz… plus much more, all in this week’s paper.
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
