The TRIMDON TIMES | Local |
| 
Local News & Recent Articles
|
| Trimdon man involved in Edinburgh High Court case. 8th May 2008
from the Edinburgh Evening News
Pigeon Results 8th April 2008
5/4/08 from Bubwith liberated at 10.45 am; 1st - Thompson & Byrne, 2nd -R Booth & G’son, 3rd - H.Rayner, 4th - Thompson & Byrne
Christmas 2007
Despite the wet, horrible weather the Band managed to raise £355.20 from our street collection on 2nd. We would like to pass on our sincere thanks to the kind folk of Trimdon Colliery and Trimdon Station.
Much better weather on the 9th, thanks to the generous people of Trimdon Grange we raised £219, and oOur collection at Trimdon Village on 16th raised £273.28.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout the year!
Lynsey Garraghan on behalf of the Band.
Spray used on dancing man ( Dec 7th 2007 by Tracy Walker , Hartlepool Mail )
CS spray was used on a drunk man when he resisted arrest after officers spotted him dancing in the street and holding a bottle of wine above his head.
Anthony Evans, 22, had to be sprayed after "tensing up" and "lashing out with his feet" to resist being arrested.
He was dancing in Wingate Road, Trimdon, with the bottle held above his head and liquid pouring out, Peterlee magistrates were told.
He was arrested after an officer thought he was supplying alcohol to a group of youths and Evans ignored requests for him to hand the bottle over. But Evans disputed the people with him were youths. Lynsey Armstrong, prosecuting, said the police officer on duty in Wingate Road, Trimdon, noticed a group near the bus shelter and Evans "dancing in the road with a bottle of wine in his right hand and holding it above his head with liquid spilling out of the bottle".
Ms Armstrong said Evans, of Laburnum Square, Trimdon Station, told the officer: "You think you're it because you have that red and white cross on your chest.
"I'll give you some advice – why don't you get back in your van and drive away." Ms Armstrong said Evans "tensed up" when he was informed he was under arrest and "lashed out with his legs" when placed in a caged police van. The officer issued a warning before spraying him.
Evans admitted being drunk and disorderly and resisting a police officer on November 24.
Neil Bennett, mitigating, said Evans was "affected by drink" but not in the company of under-age youths and disputed making any remarks.
Chairman of the magistrates' bench Roy Simpson, fined Evans £50 for being drunk and disorderly and £150 for resisting a police officer.
Teenager in court for firework attack (Dec 4 2007 by Andrew Pain, Evening Gazette )
A TEENAGER was due to appear in court today charged with throwing a lit firework at a train conductor.
The conductor was standing on the platform at Thornaby Station at the rear of a train on the Darlington to Saltburn route at about 4.50pm on Monday, October 29, when the incident happened. The firework caused scorching to the conductor’s clothing and reddening to the leg.
After images appeared on the front page of the Evening Gazette and in other media outlets Daniel William Young, 18, contacted police requesting to hand himself in.
The teenager, of Newlands Road, Trimdon, County Durham, was subsequently arrested and was to appear before Teesside Magistrates today charged by the British Transport Police for common assault and throwing a firework in a public place.
Following the incident PC Graham Adams, of British Transport Police, said: “This was a totally unprovoked attack which has left him understandably shaken. Everyone has the right to be able to go to work without fear of being attacked or abused in this way.”
 Gran's new look (Oct 4th 2007)
A WOMAN who hid behind her clothes in a bid to avoid the attention of bullies has faced her demons – on prime-time television.
Margaret will be surrounded by her family, which includes husband Tony, 53, daughter Claire, 31, son Anthony, 29, and grandchildren Oscar, 18 months, and Tristan, three, at her home in Trimdon Grange for the BBC 1 programme What Not to Wear when it goes out as the series finale at 8pm today. Full story from the Sunderland Echo.
Wingate Nature Reserve (Deaf Hill) (Aug 14th 2007)
Nesting birds - moor hens on the ponds - have been killed by air gun pellets recently in the nature reserve. Hunting or killing wild animals of any type (including rabbits) is illegal in the reserve - if you see anything untoward please telephone Police on 0845 6060 365 or email rangers@durham.gov.uk
 Local Elections Thursday 19th July 2007:
Labour held onto the Sedgefield seat, but with a reduced majority, with the Liberal Democrats in second place, Conservatives in third and the British National Party in fourth. Phil Wilson got 12,528 votes to become the constituency's first new MP since Mr Blair was elected in 1983. Full details - Hartlepool Mail.
Pictured, Trimdon man Phil Wilson (Labour) with celebrity support provided by John Middleton, aka Emmerdale’s Ashley Thomas, who kindly posed for this photo whilst on the campaign trail.
 Trimdon Motor Services
A selection of photographs, with details taken from the hardback book TMS - A Social History. Courtesy of Philip Kirk and Peter Cardno.
The Hartlepool Mail
April 20th 2007 original article
Hunt for school vandals
By CHRISTOPHER YOUNG
VANDALS have struck again at a primary school just months after causing hundreds of pounds of damage.
Police have appealed for help to track down youngsters who are targeting Deaf Hill Primary School, in Trimdon Station. During the Easter holidays, vandals broke into the site and ripped tiles from the roof of the school building. They also put a hole in fencing and broke wire mesh which covered the pond. Last autumn, hundreds of pounds of damage was caused at the school after a play house was destroyed, a bird box was broken and an outside tap was ripped off the wall. Headteacher Paul Lonsdale said: “We can’t afford to throw money away like this. “They have ripped some slate off the roof in a patch which has quite re-recently been re-roofed. They have then thrown the tiles at a wall and caused a lot of damage. “We have got to make people aware that they can contact the police and if they see something happening, they must report it.” PC Phil Stephenson, from Peterlee Police, urged locals to protect the school from the vandals. “Most of the damage tends to occur over school holiday periods but as the nights remain light for longer, it could be that youngsters will be hanging about getting up to no good,” he said. “I would encourage anyone who spots youngsters in the school grounds - whether they appear to be misbehaving or not - to contact the police. “We would also like to hear from anyone who thinks they know who is responsible for causing earlier damage.” Anyone with information should contact Peterlee Police on (0845) 6060365 or Crimestoppers anonymously on (0800) 555111.
| The Northern Echo
December 15th 2006 original article
Jobs blow as second firm hits problems
A FACTORY only yards from Tony Blair's home in County Durham has gone into administration. Volante Public Transportation Interior Systems Limited, which employs 70 people in Trimdon, said a number of loss-making contracts had caused it to go under.
It is the second business in Trimdon to hit financial difficulties in the past week.
The Northern Echo reported last Friday how canal boat maker Steelcraft, based on the Trimdon Grange Industrial Estate, had gone into liquidation, threatening 30 jobs.
Last night, Graham Wood, regeneration manager of Sedgefield Borough Council, said: "This is another harsh blow for a small community, especially at this time of year."
The Newcastle office of professional services firm Deloitte has been appointed as administrator for Volante, which makes interior panels for buses and trains.
Administrators Ian Brown and Neil Matthews, of Deloitte, said they are aiming to find a buyer to take it on as a going concern.
Mr Brown said: "We have already had a number of expressions of interest in taking over Volante as a going concern, and would expect that more will follow in the next few days.
"Volante is essentially a structural strong business with a range of established customers, and offers good prospects for potential new owners."
Volante, which continues to trade while a buyer is being sought, was forced into administration due to the "combined impact of a number of loss-making contracts".
Mr Blair opened the factory in 1997 and then returned for a visit in 1999 with his wife, Cherie, when the company had an artist in residence on the premises.
In February last year, Volante made about 30 redundancies after an order with a major customer came to an end.
Last week, Steelcraft closed its doors and was in consultation with local business support organisation, the Shildon and Sedgefield Development Agency, in an attempt to save the company.
At the time, Councillor Lucy Hovvels, Mayor of Sedgefield borough, said: "We are a small community and we rely on small local companies like this to help generate income back into the area.
"This is a real blow for this community."
6:01am today
| The Northern Echo
December 8th 2006 original article
Downturn in orders sends boat builder into liquidation
ABOUT 30 jobs were under threat last night after it emerged that a Trimdon-based boat building business had run into financial difficulties.
The Northern Echo has learnt that canal boat maker South West Durham Steelcraft is in liquidation, after a prolonged shortage of work and lack of orders.
Steelcraft, which employs about 30 people at its base on Trimdon Grange Industrial Estate, remained closed yesterday. The company is understood to have been consulting local business support organisation the Shildon and Sedgefield Development Agency in an attempt to save the company.
Last night, Steelcraft's situation was said to be a "blow for the community," and workers at the site, in Prime Minister Tony Blair's constituency, spoke of their fears at being out of work only weeks before Christmas.
One worker said the staff's hours had been reduced recently, but they did not know the extent of the situation.
The worker, who asked not to be named, said: "This is bad news for us - things are obviously worse than we thought. We don't know what's going to happen - but my concern is that Christmas is not even three weeks away.
"There's never a good time to be out of work, but this must be the worst."
The company was set up in 1989, and is well regarded in the industry.
It has built more than 500 boats, and has designed and built shells for some of the country's largest boat companies, including Simolda and Pennine Cruisers.
Councillor Lucy Hovvels, Mayor of the Sedgefield borough, which includes Trimdon, said it was bad news for the area.
She said: "We are a small community, and we rely on small local companies like this to help generate income back into the area.
"This is a real blow for this community, and the factory employs a lot of local people.
"We rely on local businesses like this one helping the economy.
"We are all hoping there can be some solution soon, especially with it being so near Christmas."
John Flynn, Steelcraft's founder and owner, last night said he did not want to comment on the situation.
| TIM BRINGS SILVERWARE TO SEDGEFIELD
9th Jan 2007:  At the recent Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) examinations, Tim Jasper, 13, of Sedgefield, a Y8 pupil at Carmel RC College, Darlington, achieved a Pass with Merit in the Grade 5 Music Theory paper. He was prepared for the examination by his piano teacher, Mrs M. Crallan, also of Sedgefield
15th March 2006: At The Darlington Festival For Performing Arts (Speech & Drama) held at the weekend, former St. William’s pupil Tim Jasper from Sedgefield, aged 12 and now a pupil of Carmel RC Technology College, was presented with The Edith Kershaw Trophy, after it was announced that he was the winner of the Prose Speaking Class (Under-13). There were 19 entrants in the competition......Read full article
Updates: 2nd Oct and Nov 23rd 2006
Sid Chaplin Short Story Competition result, and earlier in the Rafters Bar of The Hope Inn in Sedgefield , a huge audience of spoon-playing fans was treated to a virtuoso performance from reigning Junior World Champion, 10 years old Ciaran Jasper, as she held on to her title in the face of a fierce challenge from the other finalists.....Read full article.
| Trimdon Community Garden
at Hart View, Trimdon Village are looking for anyone who wants to potter a bit and possibly grow their own vegetables. Cost - a few hours a week. Reward - friendship, exercise and home grown fruit and vegetables. Raised beds available. Phone Jason Martin on 0191 527 3333 for details. August 2006
From 24Dash.com - News for the public sector and beyond: Durham community group celebrates opening of new play space
Publisher: Ian Morgan
Published: 26/07/2006 - 09:54:02 AM
Trimdon, Durham
A community group in a County Durham town was today celebrating after a new play space opened with help from a charity that funds regeneration projects in former coal mining areas.
A grant of £35,103 from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) has enabled the Skerne Play Park Association to pay for the first phase of the redevelopment of a playing field in Trimdon.
The site has now been turned into a multi-use games area for the community.
The Skerne Play Park Association was formed by local parents who were concerned about the lack of a safe play space for children.
The group is working with Trimdon Parish Council to develop the project, which has received support from the police, local schools and residents.
The next phases will include the creation of a toddler and junior play area, a sensory garden and a seating area.
CRT trustee, Peter McNestry, said: "It is great to see a community working together to create a public space that residents of all ages will be able to enjoy, especially during this hot summer weather.
"We congratulate the campaigners for their hard work and are delighted to be able to support their redevelopment plans."
The CRT supports community activists and voluntary groups working to improve facilities and opportunities for residents of coalfield areas.
| From the Northern Echo website
29th June 2006 (original article )
If they can march why can't we?
By Mike Amos
ALMOST 125 years after 74 men and boys died in the Trimdon Grange Explosion, villagers have been warned against marching in their memory on Durham Big Meeting day.
Police say that they won't supervise the traditional early morning parade through the village - a mile from Prime Minister Tony Blair's constituency home - nor any other local Big Meeting march unless road closure orders have been applied for.
Angry officials claim however, that when around 25 members of Real Fathers for Justice marched through the Trimdons on June 16, almost as many police officers - and the force helicopter - were deployed to supervise them. Employing a "road management" company would cost about £600.
"We've been told that it's illegal to march on the road and that we could lose our houses in the event of an accident and a compensation claim, but the march will go ahead no matter what they say," says one of the organisers.
"We lost 74 men at Trimdon Grange lodge in one shift, plenty more at other times, and now they're telling us that for a few minutes once a year we can't remember them in the way that we have for more than 100 years.
"We're only working lads trying to maintain the traditions of the Gala, but they're trying to put pressure on us by talking of losing our houses."
The explosion, immortalised in a song by Tommy Armstrong, occurred in the early hours of February 16, 1882. Almost every family in the village lost a close relative.
A heated meeting earlier this month between police, council officials and representatives of five former colliery communities in Sedgefield borough - Spennymoor, Ferryhill, Fishburn, Chilton and the Trimdons - was told that police had no powers to halt or re-direct traffic without a road closure order.
A Durham police spokesman said that banner parade organisers across the county had been invited to appear before their local safety advisory group - particularly since Heritage Lottery funds had become available to restore banners.
The spokesman added that, last year, marches were thought to have taken place without formal road closures. "Organisers would have been liable if there had been accidents, injury or even death. That remains true for any event where advice is not sought or followed."
The Real Fathers for Justice march was "a legitimate demonstration by a recognised pressure group" near the Prime Minister's home, say the police. "It was a one-off event, unlike the Miners' Gala which is a major annual public gathering."
Led by the Reg Vardy band playing Gresford - the miners' hymn - the Trimdon gathering will defiantly halt at 7.20am on Saturday, July 8, outside the Aged Miners' Homes before marching down the main street and then taking a coach to Durham.
"We've been told it will be illegal but it's definitely going ahead and that way we might get the police there after all," says the organiser, who has asked to remain anonymous.
"We've nothing against Fathers for Justice but it's crazy that they can come from all over Britain to march through Trimdon and we can't. The only way we won't march in memory of those lads is if they lock up every one of us."
Durham Miners Gala
A gallery of photographs from this years Gala, Courtesy of John Runciman at Grange Photography.
|  Celebration Event
Full report of the recent community event, complete with pictures and competition winners
|  Trimdon Gateway Improvements
Funding has been secured to create village marker stones at the main points of entrance and exit to the villages. Stone mason, David Edwick, has been chosen to develop the designs, and your comments and views are invited. See the proposed designs and details on the Trimdon Gateway page.
| Bank Top Stables Update
Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court today jailed Lee Howard, 39, of Douglas Street, Middlesbrough, for six months.He was charged after the RSPCA discovered animal remains at Bank Top Stables in Trimdon last May. Magistrates also banned him from keeping animals for life. 29-03-06
Bank Top Stables
Owner left animals to rot
By SUN ONLINE REPORTER 3rd March 2006 ( www.thesun.co.uk )
A MAN who callously abandoned more than 30 animals at stables was warned today he faces jail.
Lee Howard cruelly left the animals to starve to death because he could not cope with what “life was throwing at him“.
Horses, dogs, chickens and rabbits were condemned to a death sentence when Howard left them locked up in without food or water in filthy stables.
Out of more than 30 animals only three dogs survived - by eating the remains of the others.
RSPCA officials discovered the horrific scene at Bank Top Stables in Trimdon, Co Durham following complaints from neighbours about the smell and the noise of barking dogs.
Upon entering the premises they found the rotting remains of 13 horses, four dogs, 11 hens and a black and white rabbit, which had been left unattended for at least two months.
There were also skulls of horses and other bones lying around the stable’s courtyard.
The scene was so gruesome that RSPCA and police were overpowered by the smell coming from the stables and maggots could be heard crawling over the carcasses of the dead animals.
Howard, a finance company worker, had denied one count of causing unnecessary suffering to all the dead animals and three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a rottweiler and two border collies by abandoning them at the stables.
On the morning of the 39-year-old’s trial at Bishop Auckland Magistrates’ Court he changed his plea and admitted all the charges.
Prosecutor Kevin Campbell, for the RSPCA, told JPs that the animals were each housed in different stable blocks.
“As each door opened an absolute horrendous and gruesome picture there was an animal, usually a horse, in various stages of decomposition,” he said.
“The horses were clearly dead and had been there for some time. One of the police officers heard dogs eating and devouring the horses.
“The smell was overpowering.”
Mr Campbell then played the court the video the RSPCA made at the time of the grisly discovery.
Howard, of Douglas Street, Middlesbrough, kept his head bowed throughout the 10-minute film.
“The smell in here is just unbelievable,” said Chief Inspector Neil Mitchell in a commentary accompanying the video.
“As you can tell the smell in here is incredible. The maggots are everywhere.”
A female voice in the background added: “That’s disgusting.”
Jane Scott, defending, said Howard had been suffered from depression and financial difficulties following the death of his mother and was in a “downward spiral“.
She added: “He simply could not cope with what life was throwing at him and he simply walked away.”
Magistrates also heard that Howard had avoided a jail sentence in January after admitting fraud.
He was sentenced to a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, when he pleaded guilty to four charges of making a false instrument and 10 of false accounting.
Howard, a self-employed loan company worker, made up the names of clients to pocket thousands of pounds from his bosses.
The scam emerged after he was questioned in connection with the gruesome discovery at the stables.
He was also told by a judge at Teesside Crown Court to complete 200 hours’ community service and pay £2,195 in compensation and £200 court costs after pocketing £6,098.
Chair of the bench Beryl Swinbanks told Howard he was facing a possible jail sentence.
“We have heard what has been said by the prosecutor and defence solicitor today,” she told him.
“We are going to adjourn for a pre-sentence report as we feel we need to know more information about you.”
The maximum sentence for animal cruelty is six months jail.
Howard was remanded on unconditional bail until sentencing on March 29 at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court.
Speaking shortly after the discovery in June last year, RSPCA Inspector Mark Gent said: “When I got there, I smelt a terrible smell and knew there was something wrong and phoned the local police who attended and we broke in and found quite a shocking sight.
“I have smelt it before, sadly, but you know that smell and I knew instinctively there was something wrong.
“I have never seen anything on this scale before.”
| Wind turbine protestors lose fight
( Northern Echo, August 1st 2005 )
CAMPAIGNERS in Prime Minister Tony Blair's Sedgefield constituency have lost their fight against a wind farm they say could blight their lives.
Energy firm EDF has won its appeal against Durham City Council's refusal of permission to erect four 76-metre turbines between Town Kelloe and Trimdon Colliery.
Councillors rejected the scheme despite the recommendation of planning officers to grant approval.
That decision delighted the members of Trimdon Action Group Against Wind Farms, who were worried about possible subsidence, light flicker, noise, vibrations and the possible effects on people's health.
Mr Blair's agent John Burton wrote signalling support for the objectors.
Council officials said the turbines would not have a "significant visual impact".
Council leader Fraser Reynolds said: "We do recognise that many people did have concerns about noise and visual impact around this scheme. We will now try to make sure that residents are kept informed of the various stages involved in developing this site by EDF Energy.
"At the end of the day all local authorities in this region have signed up to the Regional Spatial Strategy and sustainable energy generation is part of our own LA 21 agenda. Any planning application for alternative energy will be judged on individual merits, as this particular plan was."
A spokesman for the North-East Assembly, which drew up the Regional Spatial Strategy, said although the site was not specifically earmarked for wind power, it was identified as an area of "least constraint" where small development may be appropriate.
EDF welcomed the decision, saying the wind farm could supply the annual requirements of up to 3,333 homes.
| The Durham Mining Museum
permanent exhibition will open on Saturday July 2nd.
There will be a march with a band and some banners from The Crossways Hotel on the A181 (The very first meeting of miners which led to the formation of The Durham Miners Association was held in the field which is now The Crossways Hotel car park) to Thornley Community Centre.
Centrepiece of the museum is the alphabetical list of some 19,000 miners killed in the Durham Coalfield with a memorium book.
Timetable:
09.30 Meet up at The Crossways Hotel at the Thornley road junction on the A181 (Durham to Hartlepool road)
10.00 Band, banners and procession lift off (up to 13 banners expected)
10.45 Opening speeches at Thornley Community Centre
11.00 Museum open for inspection by invited guests
12.00 Buffet for invited guests, banner carriers and Mining Museum Members
13.00 to 16.00 Museum open to the public. Free entry. Donation box to help pay for heating & lighting.
It is hoped that 2 of the 3 NUM Production Bannerettes will be on display along with the painted panel of the 1892 "Bainbridges" Deaf Hill Banner which went to a private owner in the 1930s has re-appeared.
We hope the opening will be done by Ian Lavery the NUM Chairman. | Air Crash Investigation & Archaeology
Research group ACIA is trying to trace any surviving relatives of Sgt George Marshall, of Trimdon, who was killed on 1st March 1943 whilst serving with the RAF. George is buried in Trimdon Grange Cemetery and his parents were James and Alice Marshall, of Trimdon Village.
The group is researching wartime aircraft accidents and George's aircraft is one of them, having crashed onto remote moorland near Bellingham, Northumberland. The remains of the aircraft are hopefully going to be excavated later this year and are to go on display at the North East Aircraft Museum in Sunderland. It is also hoped that a memorial will also be erected near the crash site. The main reason for tracing the relatives of Sgt Marshall is to invite them to the memorial unveiling should it come to fruition.
If you think you can provide any information, please get in touch. | Also see the Archive section for earlier articles which have appeared on the website. |
Blair's short walk into history
by Chris Lloyd Northern Echo 7th May 2005
AS fields go, this is a famous one. It separates the Blairs' constituency home of Myrobella in Trimdon Colliery from the low community association hall in which they cast their vote.
It's a puddly field, with water collecting in the dips of the football goalmouths.
For its big moment this year, the field had been cut. Clarts of matted grass clippings stuck to the shoes of the Blairs as, for the third time, their walk across the field was followed by live TV cameras and photographers from across Europe.
In both May 1997 and June 2001, the council had allowed the grass in the famous field to grow. Buttercups and daisies gave it an attractive, pastoral feel.
This year, though, only a few dandelions survived the tyranny of the lawnmower. They kept yellow heads low until the blades had passed over and now they pushed upward.
In May 1997, on a blisteringly hot day, the three children did not reach Tony and Cherie's shoulders as they tripped breezily across the field as the nation joyfully turned to New Labour.
In June 2001, on a pleasantly warm day, it was a workmanlike walk. The boys, Euan and Nicholas, were big and confident, stepping out on their own. Only Kathryn clung shyly to her father's hand.
But then, in November 2003, what may yet be the defining moment of Mr Blair's premiership occured on this field.
Two giant Black Stallion Sikorsky helicopters landed in the goalmouth closest to Myrobella, bringing the Republican President George Bush to cement a friendship born in wartime.
And so, in May 2005, the walk across the field seems a little subdued.
"It's caad," notes an elderly woman of the weather change.
On the chilly wind drifts the clatter of a helicopter - "these are just toys, these helicopters", says a local who watched grown policemen blown over by the downblast of Mr Bush's choppers.
Cherie waves enthusiastically for the cameras, and brings Euan, now 21, and Nicholas, 19, into line for a tight picture. They are both voting for the first time. Kathryn, now 16, has stayed at home.
Tony - open-necked for the first time on polling day - just holds up a hand to acknowledge the photographers (their number is down, too, from 34 in 2001 to 22 yesterday).
"Rock on, Tony, man," shouts a voice from the small crowd.
And in these parts at least, Mr Blair is still extremely popular. "You shouldn't need to ask, we're all Labour round here," says an elderly lady, making her way on a stick and an arm to vote.
She adds: "But some folks are funny - y'know, that Sedgefield lot." She waves her stick towards the more conservatively-inclined townlet down the road.
"I remember the big strike in 1926," says Nora Morgan, 86, who with her husband John, 84, a retired miner, has seen all the walkings and landings on the field these last eight years.
"I was seven years old and we ate in soup kitchens on Christmas Day. We can never let the Tories back in."
As the Blairs disappear behind the peeling green paint of the polling station, Evelyn Haupt arrives from Hanover, in Germany.
"I am a Tony fan," she says in the perfect English that she teaches to children back home. "I get butterflies in my stomach seeing him."
Pinned to her lapel are four handmade badges showing pictures of her meeting Mr Blair. She jiggles another handful in her pocket, and points to the one he signed at a Labour conference two years ago.
"I was amazed by his speech in front of Downing Street in 1997," she says. "I met him first when he was on holiday in France in 1997, and ever since I have met him once or twice a year.
"I like his politics - with the exception of Iraq, but that's over now. I like him because he's very intelligent, warm and honest."
Their votes cast, a dark green Jaguar sweeps the Blairs away. Tony is off to thank the party workers in Sedgefield; Cherie is off to the Catholic church in Trimdon village because it is Ascension Day.
Yesterday morning's polls suggested their votes would help Labour to a comfortable and historic third victory.
But for the field, anonymity rather than history beckons.
Mr Blair, who will step down as party leader before the next election. He will never walk this way as Prime Minister again
|
10:39am (UK) Dec 10th 2004
Blair Signs Up for Credit Union
By Rod Minchin, PA
 Prime Minister Tony Blair joined a credit union today as he began a series of engagements in his County Durham constituency.
Mr Blair, accompanied by his wife Cherie, started his day in Trimdon Village where he joined the local credit union.
As Mr Blair signed the official membership papers, he joked: “I can’t see what I’m signing, I haven’t got my specs on.”
His wife replied: “I’m a lawyer. You do not sign anything you haven’t read.”
The South West Durham Credit Union collects money each week from its members before giving out low interest loans to those that need it.
Later Mr Blair met children from St William’s Roman Catholic Primary School and Trimdon Village Infant School at a row of shops in the village, which the children have decorated for Christmas.
The Prime Minister was then officially launching the CBI-backed £6 million Aspire project that aims to plug the region’s skills gap.
He is also joining elderly constituents at a luncheon club Christmas dinner.
|
| Website Design Copyright © Trimdon Times 2005 |
|
|
|
|
