JILL MORTIMER: Thanking Pam and Bill who’ve provided 28 lifesaving devices

This month last year, Pam and Bill tragically lost their son Daniel to a cardiac arrest.

But they were determined that something positive should come from their loss and set about ensuring that no one in Hartlepool should ever be more than 500 metres away from a potentially lifesaving defibrillator.

In just one year, Pam and Bill have raised in the region of £60,000, installed 28 defibrillators in our town, and made plans to install a further 10 of them.

Thank you, Pam and Bill, for all the amazing work that you have done for Hartlepool in Daniel’s memory.

I also met again with Stan Rennie, who is one of our great local fishermen, and joined with him and the rest of the Hartlepool fishing community in the belief that we need to look again at the cause of crustacean deaths along our coastline.

Crustacean deaths are not only an economic crisis for our fisherfolk but a cultural one too.

Fishing has been at the centre of our local community since the birth of our town and we must find a way to preserve it for future generations.

I also paid a visit to the new development of energy-efficient, affordable homes in Greatham, run by Karbon Homes.

The material that Karbon uses for their homes – Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF) – provides a double thickness of insulation, saving residents up to 50% on their energy bills!

The central aim of Karbon Homes is to foster happy and healthy communities, which they do through the several community hubs in their developments and by running engagement projects centred around, for example, education and supporting vulnerable tenants.

Finally, the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) recently launched a consultation regarding its planned Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) for Hartlepool.

Alongside Hartlepool’s £25m Towns Fund, the MDC will focus on regenerating our town centre and high streets, supporting local businesses, cutting red tape, attracting investment, and making our streets safer.

Make sure you have your say on our plans for the MDC, which you can do on the TVCA website.

The consultation will end at noon on August 4.