Stockton Pirate Festival, 4th - 5th July

Lanterns released for Georgina Anderson in Stockton on Affinity bridge on You Tube Video

The out pour of emotion stretched further than East Cleveland last night as hundreds also gathered on the Affinity Bridge in Stockton. People from Teesside and East Cleveland showing their respects for a very talented singer Georgina Anderson. Our thoughts are with the Anderson family.

Lanterns launched for Georgina Anderson

People gathered tonight to say good bye to the wonderfully gifted and extremely brave Georgina Anderson. East Cleveland Residents meet 8pm at "The Stray" car-park in Marske, for a lantern release for in memory of Georgina Anderson who unfortunately lost her battle with cancer, thousands gathered in Redcar and Stockton.

The sky was light for Georgina Anderson and everyone showed her family we're all thinking of them at this terrible time.

Northumbria in Bloom: Teesside keeps up proud tradition with several awards

Village of Moorsholm received several awards while there was also success for Stockton , Thornaby, Eston, Saltburn and Redcar

 

Northumbria in Bloom Teesside winners

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Teesside today kept up its proud tradition of success in the annual Northumbria in Bloom scheme by picking up several awards.

The winners were announced this morning in a ceremony at Sunderland's Stadium of Light.
And perhaps the pick of the crop was the small village of Moorsholm, which not only won one of the major awards (best village), it bagged a hat-trick of special awards: most attractive front garden (Hazel Tree Farmhouse), outstanding voluntary contribution by a private individual (Barry McCabe) and best kept grounds of a religious establishment (St Mary’s Church).
Other major award winners were Stockton (best city), Thornaby (best small city), Eston (best urban community) and Saltburn (best coastal resort).

There was also Teesside success in the list of special awards: best voluntary project, Saltburn Library; best kept bus, metro or railway station, Saltburn; best park, Ropner Park, Stockton; best college, university grounds or sports centre, Redcar Racecourse.

The best overall entry - and best small town - was Sedgefield.

Article from Gazette Live
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/northumbria-bloom-teesside-keeps-up-6039456

Stockton and Redcar teacher sickness rise claim sparks anger

The Department for Education says teachers' sickness levels tripled in Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland

Tony Gavin, headteacher at Laurence Jackson School in Guisborough

Figures released from the Department for Education have revealed the Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland boroughs have the fastest rise in teacher sickness in the country.
Since 2010 the number of sick days teachers have taken has tripled in both Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland.

But the two authorities have dismissed the figures as “inaccurate” and not reflecting their own statistics.
Stockton Council and Redcar and Cleveland Council were in the top 12 local authorities where the average number of days sick teachers take off are the fastest rising in England, according to the DfE.
In 2010 the average number of sick days taken was three in Redcar and Cleveland and 3.3 in Stockton. The following year these figures rose to 6.6 in Redcar and Cleveland and 8.7 in Stockton.
In 2012 they had risen to 9.5 in Redcar and Cleveland and 9.8 in Stockton.
Joan Guy, cabinet member for children’s services and education at Redcar and Cleveland Council, said: “We work closely to support our schools and teachers.

“In doing so we closely monitor the sickness absence levels of teachers and we believe there are a number of inaccuracies in these figures.”

Councillor Ann McCoy, Stockton Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “We work with schools and trade unions to closely monitor and explore the reasons for sickness absence.

“This means we can then offer appropriate advice and support to schools and teaching staff to prevent sickness and help them improve their overall health and well-being.
“These figures do not reflect our own sickness absence statistics. In fact our figures show a much-improved sickness level.”

Tony Gavin, headteacher of Laurence Jackson School in Guisborough, said that apart from one member of staff having an operation he has had no one off sick this term so far.

He added that LJS is part of the Tees Valley Health Service’s Better Health at Work scheme.
“All schools now have absence monitoring and sickness review with a very positive welfare approach to it,” he added.
“We use occupational health and we have a staff forum. Feedback from the forum has been extremely positive.
“Our staff absence has diminished over the last three or four years.”

Article from Gazette Live
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/stockton-redcar-teacher-sickness-rise-6020620