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Working together for pride

A campaign to bring different parts of the community together in a bid to regenerate Teesside has marked its first year under the initiative.

The main aim of Tees Pride is to make the area a better place to live, work, and do business in.

Middlesbrough Gazette editor Steve Dyson believes whole communities are now acting together to achieve just that – and help regeneration take place from the grass roots level.

He said: “Activities have been highlighted every week, and sometimes every day, that were closely aligned with the campaign’s ideals.

“Stories about how regeneration, the environment, education and health have been tackled in Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool and Darlington have all been gathered under the Tees Pride banner.”

Tees Pride was already bringing together readers, businesses, local authorities and community groups, who all want to:

  • create and protect jobs;
  • promote and encourage new business;
  • push for an integrated transport system;
  • clean up local streets;
  • highlight positives and challenge negatives;
  • support health and education initiatives;
  • raise money for good causes;
  • encourage debate.

    Steve said: “Apart from sign-posting this flood of aspirational stories, Tees Pride has also been used in a number of Evening Gazette campaigns throughout 2002.

    “The paper’s Community Champions awards, which recognised the dedication of individuals in the region who help others or battle on in the face of adversity, was held up high as an example of Tees Pride.

    “The campaign also saw the launch of Barclaycard’s Making A Difference awards, which saw the region’s charities compete for cash awards worth £30,000.

    “And the Gazette’s Battle For Ships series, which aimed to demonstrate how ready and worthy the region’s ports and businesses were to help build two new navy aircraft carriers, was also launched as a Tees Pride campaign.”

    This more challenging approach saw readers invited to write in to the Gazette to demand answers to controversial questions about the future. So far, Mayor Ray Mallon, council leaders Dave Walsh and Bob Gibson have been among those in the hotseat in a series of Tees Pride Open to Question debates in the paper.

    When appropriate, Tees Pride will not only debate these and other issues in the pages of the Evening Gazette, but will also hold live debates in public places.

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