A TEESDALE family are hoping to raise the roof and cash in on a special songs of praise to be held at Cotherstone Methodist Church on Sunday (October 13).
Six years ago Christine Bainbridge, who grew up in Cotherstone, died just ten days after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Now her family are hoping friends will join them in a special songs of praise afternoon to raise funds for Cancer Research UK from 2.30pm.
Mrs Bainbridge’s sister, Evelyn Walton, said: “We have done fundraising in the past. We did the Great North Run last year and we thought this year instead of putting up a justgiving page and asking people to donate we’d organise a special service where we can have a nice afternoon and get together and raise money. Just about everybody has been touched by cancer in some form.
“When Christine died she was living in Gateshead so her funeral was up there and this way we can all get together and remember those who have been taken and the happy memories of them.
“Our mum and dad (Joyce and Frank Gargett) still live in the village and Christine was a member of the church there so we thought it was the right place. We want it to be a cheery event.”
She added there will be tea, coffee and cakes after the service in the schoolroom. To request a hymn in memory of a loved one, email evieott1971@gmail.com.
The day before the service, which will be led by Christine’s husband, Revd Richard Bainbridge, nine members of the family are participating in Cancer Research UK’s Shine Night Walk at Newcastle.
The family will set off in the dark at 7pm from the Baltic Centre on the ten kilometre walk. The route meanders around Gateshead and Newcastle and participants will “shine a light” using torches.
![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)
