19 September 2025
Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed your weekend. I had a great time seeing some wonderful acts at the Rhythm and Tunes festival in Darlington with friends and family over the weekend.
My week began with a visit to Stockton Sixth Form College where I joined Dr Nichole Munro, CEO, and Dr Noel Dennis, Director of Business Development at Atomix Educational Trust, to explore their brand-new Aviation Suite. This impressive facility supports Stockton Sixth Form's new Aviation Operations course, offering students the opportunity to complete professional flight simulators alongside in-depth learning about the aviation industry. Stockton Sixth Form are the only college outside of London to offer this industry-led qualification. This is truly a unique opportunity for young people across our Borough who are looking to launch their career in aviation.
I didn't get in the flight simulator myself, but I can tell you that Pilot Chris Renehan, Assistant Director for Inclusive Growth and Development and Co Pilot Tracey Carter, Director for Regeneration and Inclusive Growth, crashed the plane before it even left the runway.
I then had various meetings including one about Yarm High Street, and a briefing with Cabinet and Corporate Management Team (CMT).
On Tuesday morning I had my regular catch up with Jonathan Nertney, Head of Democratic Services.
In the afternoon, I joined a briefing for the upcoming S&DR bicentenary event. With just over one week to go, excitement is building for this once in a lifetime event that will see the re-enactment of Locomotion No.1's first journey. I am looking forward to attending some of the brilliant events on offer.
On Wednesday morning, I joined a meeting with colleagues from across the Tees Valley to have a meeting with The Junction Multibank to discuss its impact and development. They are doing some amazing work and Stockton-on-Tees residents are benefitting from this brilliant facility.
After this I headed off to the dentist. I have an absolute fear of the dentist and by the time I got there, I had worked myself into a state! I get sedation for any procedure, but I was being brave as it was only a visit to the hygienist. I've got to admit that it was easier than I though but rather than having my teeth out, I thought they had my eyes out when the cost was £180!!
I then had a visit to Community Campus 87 alongside Cllr Pauline Beall to meet with their CEO Simon Virth. We heard about the work they have been doing to tackle homelessness and provide support, peer mentoring and employment opportunities across the Tees Valley. I was really impressed with their work.
On Thursday I chaired the Cabinet meeting. There were a few items to cover on the agenda, including updates on the regeneration plans for Tees Central, the Stockton-on-Tees Youth Justice Plan and an update on the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP).
I have no plans for this weekend and am just hoping to have a chilled weekend before a really busy week next week. I hope you have a great weekend.
