Tag: cleveland

Redcar Racecourse Completes £250,000 Refurbishment

By on 28th February 2016in Local Biz

Teesside’s Redcar Racecourse is eager to kick start the 2016 racing season on Easter Monday after undergoing a £250,000 refurbishment…

The racecourse – which is yet again the cheapest paid admission racecourse in the country having kept its admission prices frozen for the ninth year in a row – will host seven Premier Meetings between March and November.

Redcar Racecourse’s general manager, Amy Fair, said: “The region went through a tough time last Autumn with the closure of SSI and a number of other businesses, and we understand that times are tough for many of our racegoers.

“We’re very proud to be part of the community, and that’s why we’ve kept our admission prices the same, because we believe everyone should be able to enjoy a fabulous day at the races.”

Over the winter months the racecourse has undergone a £250,000 refurbishment with a number of improvements, including a new roof on the parade ring viewing stand, new windows on the top floor of the Petch Stand, a revamp to the hospitality boxes and the toilet facilities, and improvements to the Crow’s Nest ‘Dine & View’ restaurant.

Amy is thrilled with the renovations and is looking forward to seeing what racegoers make of the developments.

She said: “We’ve been very busy over the winter period. The 2015 season was spectacular, and this year we expect it to be even better thanks to the improvements we’ve made.

“The racecourse has invested in a number of facilities around the venue as part of a 5 year improvements plan because we want to offer visitors a great racing experience.”

The Tees Valley racecourse has an exciting schedule of 18 racing fixtures until the seasonal finale in November. The highlights of the season include:

  • Easter Monday 28th March – Bank Holiday racing and lots of children’s entertainments
  • Bank Holiday Monday 30th May – Zetland Gold Cup day
  • Saturday 18th June – Ladies’ Day
  • Sunday 17th July – Helps For Heroes Family Fun Day
  • Saturday 6th August – Caribbean Carnival day
  • Saturday 27th August – Ladies’ and Gents’ Evening
  • Saturday 1st October – Seasonal climax with the £175,000 Tote Two Year Old Trophy, the Listed Guisborough Stakes and the final of the Straight Mile Championship Series

To celebrate the start of the season on Easter Monday 28th March, Redcar Racecourse is giving one lucky child the chance to win a VIP day for four people by taking part in their ‘egg-cellent’ colouring in competition. The winner will also see their artwork displayed on the front cover of the official racecard and have a race named after them on the day.

Anyone who wants to be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize should head over to Redcar Racecourse’s Facebook page or website and follow the instructions.

Admission prices on the day start from £5 per adult, with free admission for accompanied children aged 17 and under. The admission gates will open at 12 noon, and the first race is scheduled to start at 2.05pm.

Parties of 10 or more can also save over 20% when they book their Grandstand or Course Enclosure admission tickets in advance.

There are many hospitality options, from the Dine & View package in the Crow’s Nest Restaurant to racegoers’ packages, including admission, a racecard, food and drink.

For more information, visit www.redcarracing.co.uk, and to enter the Easter Monday VIP competition, visit www.redcarracing.co.uk.

North East Artist Uses Powerful Designs To Help SSI Families

By on 14th December 2015in In & Around

A North East artist wants to help families affected by the closure of SSI by donating 10% of profits he makes from the sale of his artwork…

Graphic designer Graeme Hall has created a series of 150 powerful, limited edition designs depicting the closure of Consett Steelworks, which saw 4,500 people lose their jobs in September 1980.

Having grown up around Consett, the father-of-two witnessed first-hand the devastating impact that such a closure has on a community, which is one of the reasons he has decided to donate to the Teesside Steel Appeal.

Graeme, 43, has also been inspired by the actions of 10-year-old Ben Hebden, from Marske, who started a fund to give a Christmas party and other treats to steelworkers’ children.

He said: “When I saw in the news that this young lad was doing an extremely generous thing to help those affected by the closure of SSI, I thought why can’t I raise some money to show my support for them?

“When the Consett Steelworks shut down, the impact it had on the community was huge, and it took years for the town to recover.

“I knew people who were personally hit by the closure back then, but I couldn’t really help the way I wanted to.

“This time, I can do something to help, even if it makes Christmas better for just one family.”

Each of Graeme’s designs has been created to capture the significant moment in the region’s history, while emphasizing the scale of the steelworks and showing how it dominated Consett.

Taking anything between eight hours and a couple of days to produce, Graeme has used an abundance of reds to portray the processes which were used when the steelworks was running and often left a red glow over Consett.

Having worked as a graphic designer for the last 20 years, Graeme – who is a director of award winning branding and graphic design studio Designs Unique – always knew he wanted to pursue a career in art from a young age.

Although he has never sold any of his work in the past, Graeme currently has designs displayed in Consett’s The Glass and Art Gallery, and now hopes his work will find its place in houses across the North East, while helping SSI families enjoy their Christmas.

To order or enquire about a design, email www.uniquely-yours.co.uk.

There are four different designs available, which come in A3 and cost £45 (double mounted) and £98 (framed).

#ThrowbackThursday: North East Police Vehicles From Yesteryear

By on 10th December 2015in Lifestyle

They just don’t make them like they used to…

North East Flickr user ‘Caesarion 1’ has over 200 photographs on his page, and many of them are a window into the region’s past.

Most of the photographs highlight the transport services of the time, giving us a glimpse of yesteryear’s buses and trains, making the rounds in Teesside and Northumbria. For locals who spent their formative years here, it’s one hell of a nostalgia trip.

Particularly notable, and featured in the slideshow gallery below, is an album containing 26 photographs of the North East’s old police vehicles, a lot of which would now be considered classics.

The album features police vehicles from the Northumbria, Cleveland and Durham forces, dating from the latter half of the 20th century.

View the gallery here:

 

Gems include a Durham Constabulary Rover SD1 from the 1980s, a Vauxhall Chevette serving at Teesside Airport, and a Cleveland Police Ford Transit.

See more of Caesarion 1’s classic photographs here.

Do you remember any of these classic police vehicles? Do you have photographs of your own to share? Leave a comment below, or email online@inandaroundmag.co.uk!

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