WE are a resilient bunch, but even the toughest Teessider would admit that it’s been a heart-breaking week, with the announcement of SSI’s closure, writes Mike Matthews, Nifco managing director.

The Redcar plant has been at the heart of the Tees Valley community for more than 20 years, so it was a bitter blow to hear that more than 1,700 people will be out of work, as steel making in the area is brought to an abrupt halt.

As a proud Darlingtonian and devout North-Easterner, I am acutely aware of the role that SSI has played in the lives of people in the Tees Valley.

Like any major employer, in any town or city up and down the country, when so many livelihoods rely on one workplace, it inevitably becomes part of the fabric of the place – where lifetime friendships are forged and maintained over years. And having been so important for so long, SSI had certainly become that.

The desperate position these steelworkers find themselves in is heart-breaking, and while they’re skilled, accomplished people, for many of them, the idea of turning their hand to something new and exploring a different career path is almost an alien concept.

Molten steel is in the blood of some Teesside families and it’s all they know.

So what can we do to help them? Though the fate of SSI- for now, at least – is sealed, it remains unclear what the long-term prospects are for steelmaking on Teesside.

Mothballing of the site at least offers some hope for the future - it has happened before and we managed to attract an investor with our passion, skill and determination not to be beaten.

With so much current uncertainty, what it means in terms of job numbers we do not know.

And of course, this does not help the people who are affected directly by the site’s closure.

We have seen a cut in funding in the further education sector for adult learners, which will leave many people without a route into steady employment and the means to retrain.

No single person, or employer has the wherewithal to create the 1,700 jobs needed to counteract SSI’s closure.

However, what we must see is a concerted and cohesive effort and coming-together of politicians, local authorities, educators, unions, support agencies and the business community in Teesside to help out all of those families who will need real, joined-up support to rebuild.

We must throw our collective weight behind #SaveOurSteel and demonstrate our passion for an industry that has not only provided employment for generations of Teesside families, it has created communities and is provided the lifeblood of our economy for decades.

While there is – for now – no more steelmaking in Teesside, what must remain is the steely determination the area is known for. A never say die attitude that, with the right support – will see those impacted through this terrible time.