TODDLERS and their carers are being welcomed to the TCR Hub in Barnard Castle.
Tea and Tots is a new drop-in group which aims to introduce a new group of people to the community centre by setting up a relaxed and friendly space for carers of toddlers and their little ones to relax in.
TCR Hub chief officer Rachel Tweddle said: “Often toddler activities have to be booked in advance or parents and carers feel they have to attend every week.
“As a parent of a toddler, I know they can be daunting places for new people and sometimes people other than mums, such as grandparents, aunties and dads, don’t know if they will be welcomed.
“Our session is open to all and each week we will provide some toys and crafts to keep the children entertained. It’s a great opportunity to have an afternoon out.”
The free sessions will take place every Wednesday during school term time between 1pm and 3pm in the main atrium and lakeside spaces at the Hub. The cafe will be open throughout.
Those attending will also have access to the rest of the centre’s outdoor spaces and are welcome to visit the nature areas to the rear of the building which are currently being developed by Veg Out in Barney.
Suggestions for the group’s activities are welcome. Updates about the group will also be posted on the Facebook group, Tea and Tots.
![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)
