A CHAPLAINCY service has been launched in Barnard Castle to help people deal with life’s struggles.
YMCA Teesdale, which is now part of YMCA North Tyneside, has teamed up with St Mary’s Church in Barnard Castle to offer the service, which is open to everyone.
YMCA Teesdale’s operations director, Rachel Dyne, said: “This is all about bringing the church into the community. We had a conversation about how we matched and what the Christian part of the YMCA meant to us as an organisation. It is not about pushing religion or the church into someone. It is about the ethos that YMCA and the church have and that is what brought us together.”
Chaplain John Moore, who is a church member, will be available for a chat every Monday at the YMCA offices in Galgate between 1pm and 3pm. He is also the chaplain for Barnard Castle Freemasons. Mr Moore said:” This is open for everyone and it is a coffee and a chat in an approachable and safe environment. People can come to ask the big questions about life or even the little stresses that can cause them concern in daily life. It is non-judgmental because we know what is a small problem to one person could be the world to someone else.”
It is hoped that the service will provide support to older people who might be feeling increasingly isolated, families facing higher pressures and those facing relationship troubles. Ms Dyne said: “The chaplaincy service is a friendly place where people can come as they are and be met at their point of need. This might be thinking through life’s big decisions. The daily pressure of relationships, money and other expectations at times can feel suffocating.”
This is the first chaplaincy service to be offered in the North East by YMCA.
Appointments outside of the advertised times may be available on request.
For more information call Ms Dyne on 01833 695780 or email rachel@ymcateesdale.org.uk. To contact the chaplain, email chaplaincy@ymcateesdale.org.uk.
![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)
