BARNARD Castle Band will be back in action early next month with a special performance in the town.
The band, which has resumed rehearsals at Glaxo Sports and Social Club, after meeting outdoors and in a farm barn during changing periods of Covid restrictions, will take to the stage at The Witham, on Sunday, February 6.
The concert is a fundraiser, with proceeds being split between the band and the venue.
The band is working on a varied programme to suit all tastes for the performance.
Barnard Castle Band is thought to date back to the mid-1850s, possibly earlier, and has enjoyed many highs and lows throughout its history.
After a hiatus in the 1960s, when there were just six members, it was reformed in the 1970s, eventually enjoying success on the national stage throughout the 1990s. The band’s run of success continued into the early 2000s.
No longer competitive, the band is currently experiencing an upturn in enthusiasm under the baton of conductor Andrew Nicholson, with a number of new members joining.
The February 6 concert will be an hour with no interval. Tickets are £8 and £5 for U16s. For details and to book, call 01833 631107 or go to www.thwitham.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)
