THE efforts of a dedicated volunteer at Barnard Castle’s arts centre have been recognised by friends and colleagues.
Lusia McAnna was judged volunteer of the year for 2021 at The Witham for her efforts to support the centre both pre-pandemic and when Covid restrictions were in force. Sadly, Ms McAnna, of Startforth, has been diagnosed with cancer, which has meant her volunteering activities have been curtailed.
Shelagh Avery, chairwoman of trustees at The Witham, described Ms McAnna as “somebody who always looks for a way of making a contribution” .
Ms Avery added: “I first met Lusia in 2018 and she had so many ideas to help with raising £30,000 in 30 days appeal.
“I also have the image of Lusia sitting in the window of the gallery selling our lovely products during Covid. She has also eaten more lunches than anyone in The Witham’s cafe,” joked Ms Avery.
Ms McAnna said she had been a member of The Witham since 2003 and joined as a volunteer after retiring from running a textile conveyor belt company in Bishop Auckland seven years ago.
“I was looking around for volunteer opportunities and I had loved The Witham for a long time,” she said.
“I am amazed that we have so many diverse cultural events in a place as small as Barney and I wanted to help keep it going.
“Volunteering here is about so much more than just The Witham. It’s great to be part of the team – you become part of the family.”
Last year when Ms McAnna was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she said that the response from her “family” at The Witham has been overwhelming.
“As soon as they heard, I received a barrage of emails offering support, everything from lifts to chemotherapy to help with shopping.
“The Witham is at the heart of our community and I am sorry I can now only help from the sidelines. But I will still support The Witham wherever and whenever I can.”
At a meeting of volunteers at The Witham, Ms McAnna was presented with a bouquet of flowers and bottle of bubbly by Ms Avery on behalf of everyone at the centre.
![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)
