THE MAYOR of Redcar and Cleveland, Cllr Karen King, welcomed volunteers who assisted their communities scoop top prizes in the Northumbria in Bloom competition as well as athletes who represented the region at the Special Olympics.
Cllr King welcomed athletes from the North who competed at the Special Olympics Great Britain National Summer Games in Sheffield over August and came away with a big selection of medals in a variety of disciplines.
Athletes from regions of the North, including those from the Skelton/Cleveland team, scooped more than 80 medals in categories including 7-a-side football, basketball, bowls, cycling and athletics as they competed against almost 2400 athletes from 16 regions of the UK.
As well as winning 13 medals themselves, the games provided a great confidence boost for everyone participating in the Skelton/Cleveland team – many of whom had never competed at a National Games before.
62 athletes attended from the borough, with family members cheering them on during the week of activities in world-class facilities across Sheffield.
Also welcomed to the Mayor’s Parlour were a host of community-minded volunteers from across Redcar and Cleveland who helped their areas achieve great success in the Northumbria in Bloom competition.
Teachers and pupils from St Peter’s Primary School in Brotton and Westgarth Primary School in Marske were in attendance to receive their Gold Awards in the Growing Together for Schools category along with representatives from other communities, including: Stanghow, Moorsholm, Marske and Grangetown who also won prizes in a variety of categories for their eye-catching floral displays.
Cllr Karen King said: “It was great to be able to personally thank volunteers who worked so hard to make their local areas look fabulous throughout the year for the Northumbria in Bloom competition.
“I was also honoured to congratulate our fantastic athletes who superbly represented Redcar and Cleveland in the Special Olympics Great Britain National Games in August. The young people from the Skelton/Cleveland team are an inspiration to everyone in the borough.”