WORSHIPPERS from across the dale took to the streets on Good Friday to reflect on the true meaning of Easter.
Large crosses were carried through Toft Hill and Etherley as well as Barnard Castle town centre to mark the crucifixion.
About 20 people took part in the Toft Hill procession which began near the Sportsman Inn and finished in Low Etherley, where refreshments were served.
The walk was a joint act of worship between St Cuthbert’s Church and Etherley Methodist Church which sees members of the congregations walk through the two villages. The group stopped at various points to say prayers including outside Toft Hill Primary School, the community centre and The Fields care home.
St Cuthbert’s Church warden Barrie Kirton said: “The walk is part of our holy week of worship in terms of knowing that it is a very special day when Jesus was crucified. It is a witness to Jesus dying and a new beginning.
“We try to get as many people from the village involved as we can. As Christians we want to tell people the story of Jesus and this is one the ways of doing that. It has grown in numbers over the years. It is nice to see people recognise that today is not just about chocolate eggs and a day off.”
Dozens of dale folk also walked through Barnard Castle on Good Friday led by parish vicar Revd Canon Alec Harding.
The story of Easter was then read out on Scar Top and hymns were sung before hot cross buns were served.
![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)
