Roundabout Publications

Community magazines for local advertising in Monkseaton, Tynemouth, and Whitley Bay

LOCAL INTEREST: Granny’s Attic comes to St Andrew’s again

Granny's Attic at St Andrew'sSt Andrew’s Church will once again host its renowned Granny’s Attic on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th May 2016 from 10am to 2.30pm with teas, coffees, scones and light lunches – and all are welcome to this popular event.

St Andrew’s first held a Granny’s Attic in an empty shop on Park View, Whitley Bay in April 2009. It was so popular, it was held again for a week in June 2010, and then for a month in July 2011. Along the way many new friends were made who returned daily as new stock was arriving. At that time, the money being raised was to fund the redevelopment of St Andrew’s Church.

Since then the event has been held on the Church premises in Eastfield Avenue, with the added advantage of being able to provide refreshments. This year, as before, there will be many types of goods to browse and buy, including nearly new clothing, household items, bric-a-brac, jewellery, books, children’s toys and many other interesting items.

We look forward to welcoming new and returning loyal customers to these two days of fun, friendship and bargain hunting. This year the proceeds will be for Christian Aid, church funds and St Andrew’s other charitable work.

ROLL UP, ROLL UP FOR WHITLEY BAY CARNIVAL

Whitley Bay Carnival ParadeIt’s full steam ahead as the final preparations are put in place for this year’s Whitley Bay Carnival, which promises to be bigger and better than ever.

The spectacular ‘Circus’ themed event takes place on Saturday 28th May.  The carnival, once a focal point of the town’s calendar, was brought back to life in 2014 by Whitley Bay Big Local and after two hugely successful parades the event is now a firm fixture in the annual calendar.

More than 800 people including local school children, Guide and Scout groups, dance troupes and musicians will be taking part in the parade on the day which will set off from Whitley Bay Metro Station at 11am and make its way through the centre of town to the Spanish City Plaza.

The carnival is again being organised this year by local resident and creative producer Carol Alevroyianni who, having secured financial backing from Arts Council England, assembled a team of experienced artists, musicians and dancers headed up by international carnival artist Richard Broderick who have worked with ten local schools and various community groups to create costumes and spectacular carnival structures as part of the preparations for the event.

All the Fun of the FairCarol said: “Thanks to backing from Arts Council England, Whitley Bay Big Local and vital support from local businesses we can realise ambitious plans. Hundreds of local people have been part of the preparations making the parade our biggest yet with a special send off planned for the station at 10.30am.  The Spanish City Plaza will be alive from 10am till 6pm with magical street theatre, live music, circus hi-jinks and delicious street food culminating in the first Carnival Ball where we hope to create some jaw dropping moments.”

Jess Burns, Chair of Whitley Bay Big Local added: “The beauty of the carnival is that it is an opportunity for so many Whitley Bay community members to come together, from the school children and their families taking part in the procession, to community groups and local businesses.  The day itself is a fantastic event for everyone to enjoy.”

Full details of the parade route and entertainment schedule are on the Whitley Bay Community Carnival Facebook group or use #whitleybaycarnival on Twitter.

Carnival sponsors include Di Meo’s, Delaval Ices, Pantrini’s, T&J Leisure, The Whitley Whaler, East Coast Taxis, Tyne Idols, The Venetian, Rutherford Wilkinson Ltd and the News Guardian.

Whitley Bay Carnival Drummers

LOCAL HISTORY: Whitley Bay Remembered – Part 2

Station Road Shops circa1908 Whitley Bay Remembered (Part One) was published in October 2015 and covered the coastal strip from St. Mary’s Island to the Cullercoats boundary and its associated history. Whitley Bay Remembered (Part Two) will complement that edition and concentrate on the Town Centre and former village of Whitley, by looking at its development through the streets, buildings, shops and trades which have existed here over the years, and have been fundamental in its evolution.

Today, like many other town centres throughout the country, Whitley Bay has suffered with shop closures because of a drop in retail trade, which is attributable to a number of factors.

Prior to the 1980s, most retail shopping was done in town and city centres; however, retail parks and out of town supermarkets and shopping centres sprang up as a result of the increase in car ownership, which accounts for a loss of local trade. This in turn is exacerbated by internet shopping, which also takes away trade from our local economy.

In the ‘Good Old Days’, Whitley Bay flourished with almost every kind of business and shop imaginable: butchers, bakers, cobblers, tailors, jewellers, cafes and drapers – the list is practically endless. These businesses were a vital part of the community and rendered the town almost self-sufficient.

By today’s standards, it is very difficult to perceive the bygone array of different trades and businesses, all of which operated so close together. The facades and frontages were neat and tidy, window displays were large and varied and the signage above the shops was artistic and self-explanatory. Windows and steps were cleaned daily, door brasses were polished and lots of pride and effort was taken to attract, welcome and maintain customers.

Whitley Bay Remebered Part 2This book is illustrated with many old images of the town and reflects on those years where happy memories and good times will be remembered.

After a short introductory talk and slideshow by Charlie, the book will be officially launched at 6.30pm on Tuesday 10th May at Whitley Bay Library (Customer First Centre) on York Road. Admission is free, however it is advisable to book a place in advance by contacting the library by calling  0191 643 5390 or by emailing whitleybay.library@northtyneside.gov.uk.

Copies of the book will be available to purchase at £9.99 each.

by Charlie Steel © 2016

Charlie SteelFurther reading for many of Charlie’s articles can be found in his books: ‘Monkseaton Village’ (Vol. 1 & 2), ‘North Shields Public Houses, Inns & Taverns’ (Part 1 & 2), ‘Tynemouth Remembered’ and ’Whitley Bay Remembered’ (Part 1 & 2) , all published by Summerhill Books.

More information on www.monkseaton.info and on the Monkseaton Village Facebook Page.

NORTHUMBERLAND AND BORDER WALKS: A Classic Cheviot Challenge

Windy GyleSix of the Cheviot Hills exceed the magical two thousand feet mark, the height at which a mere hill is reclassified as a mountain. This transition is akin to a football team being promoted to the Premier League, and when these tops are linked together in a single circuit you have a classic walk of just over 23 miles, with a height gain in excess of five thousand feet.

The forecast was for a settled day so I was up with the worms and heading for my first top of the day, the mighty Cheviot. With clear views across the Harthope Valley the time rushed by, and within the hour I was passing the monstrous triangulation pillar marking the summit of Northumberland’s highest hill. I continued across the vast, lonely plateau heading towards top number two some five miles away, the iconic summit of Windy Gyle, where an early lunch was disturbed by the arrival of a procession of annoying wasps. No matter, the sun had slipped behind a cloud and, with the air noticeably cooler, I was keen to maintain momentum.

So, down I went, crossing the minor top of Little Ward Law and then striding out along the gravel track to the isolated farm of Uswayford, cut off for 17 consecutive weeks back in the winter of 1940/41. Once over the Usway Burn it was uphill again, tracking Bill’s Sike to the saddle between my next objective, Bloodybush Edge and neighbouring Yarnspath Law. There, high above the vast green swathe of the Kidland Forest, I encountered the only other walker on my long journey, followed by a two mile high-level slog to Cushat Law, number four on my list. With still two more tops to go I paused only to take a compass bearing over rough and pathless terrain to the Upper Breamish Valley.

Once there, a gentle stroll alongside the river, with two oystercatchers announcing their presence, and then I was climbing steeply to nondescript Shielcleugh Edge. This is a huge, generally flat area where drainage is poor, so the going, over bog-ridden peat and cloying heather to the next prominence was seriously hard going. I caught my breath on the rocky lookout post of Coldlaw Cairn, close to the watershed of both the River Breamish and the Harthope Burn whilst enjoying expansive views.

Refreshed, I squelched over uninspiring Comb Fell, my fifth top of the day, and on towards conical Hedgehope Hill, imposing in the distance and definitely the sting in the tail of this epic walk. A jumble of fences, a stone shelter and a looming triangulation pillar greeted my arrival on the summit of this the second highest hill in the range. The views stretched as far as the distant North Sea. A quick energy drink and it was downhill virtually all the way to the Harthope Valley, crossing en route Kelpie Strand and Long Crags and passing beneath the cold, grey stone of Housey Crags.

Back in the valley a small wooden footbridge carried me over the tree-enclosed Harthope Burn and, a few minutes later, I was dipping my toes in the blissfully cool Hawsen Burn, one toe nail short of a full set. It had been an arduous walk lasting just over eight hours but one that I will remember for many years to come.

by Geoff Holland © 2016

Geoff HollandGeoff Holland is a regular contributor to a number of magazines and the author of four books of self-guided walks, ‘The Hills of Upper Coquetdale’, ‘The Cheviot Hills’, ‘Walks from Wooler’ and ‘Walks on the Wild Side: The Cheviot Hills’. All books can be purchased online from www.trailguides.co.uk. Geoff, who has lived in Monkseaton for over 40 years, also operates the award-winning website www.cheviotwalks.co.uk. His poems have appeared in a number of publications.

ALL AT SEA: La Plata

The mouth of the River PlateThe name Argentina comes originally from the Latin ‘argentum’ (silver) although, in Spanish, ‘plate’ has the same meaning and the country has Spanish roots going back to the year 1512. Argentina rose as successor state of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata and the Spanish overseas colony was founded in 1776. It is the eighth largest country in the world and is bordered by Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay.

La Plata, the capital of Buenos Aires province, is a port some 100 miles from the entrance to the Rio de la Plata, and this is where we were headed with 16,000 tons of crude oil for the refinery. However, on the voyage through the Mediterranean Sea the ship developed problems which could only be rectified in a dockyard. The nearest dockyard, or perhaps the cheapest, was at Palermo in Sicily.

We spent a very enjoyable few days there with some adventures to remember – although one or two of them are not suitable for these pages!

After loading in Kuwait we proceeded via the Cape of Good Hope, a distance of 8,800 nautical miles, and were rewarded some 26 days later by the Third Officer telling us that we were in the River Plate. We rushed out to see land again but nothing could be seen and, smiling hugely, the officer told us that the river mouth was about 140 miles wide. However, the sea had changed colour from its normal blue to a dirty light brown, evidence of the huge amount of silt brought down from the hinterland.

This was confirmed later, when the ship lurched as she touched and slid along the muddy bottom of the river. Our Captain told us that it would remove all the barnacles and weed from the bottom of the ship!

About ten hours after entering we were berthed alongside the Armour Star meat factory and discharging the cargo through a pipeline that disappeared into the jetty.

Fascinated, we watched as, close by, a long train arrived at the plant, with the horns of the cattle visible through the gaps in the railway trucks. A ramp was lowered into the factory and gauchos shouted and pushed at the far end of the train, forcing the unfortunate beasts to stagger down the ramp to meet their end. It was almost enough to turn us into vegetarians.

As the port could not supply us with fuel for the return voyage, after discharging the cargo we proceeded to Montevideo in Uruguay, on the north side of the river’s entrance. We anchored near to where the Admiral Graf Spee was blown up and scuttled in December 1939, following a huge battle with the British cruisers, Exeter, Ajax and Achilles. The wreck could still be seen with the top hamper showing above water.

We managed to get ashore in Montevideo for a short sightseeing trip before we sailed again for the loading port so it might be said that we saw two ports for the price of one!

by Terry Took © 2016

Terry Took was born in Yorkshire but has lived in Tynemouth for over 50 years. He spent 45 years in the Merchant Navy which included 27 years as North Sea Pilot. He then spent five years as a lecturer at the Marine Department of South Tyneside College.

He is now an Elder Brother in Trinity House.

If you have any comments or would like to contact Terry then please e-mail him at pilotone@pilotone.plus.com.