A LOCAL historian has brought to life nostalgic memoirs of an east Cleveland town in a book.

Sheila Barker, who has also created a website, at www. communigate.co.uk/ne/ themarsh, dedicated to the history of Coatham and Warrenby, is celebrating the launch of Around Redcar.

The book, which Mrs Barker describes as a family album for the town, includes photographs of grassroots life in Redcar.

Mrs Barker said: "I was brought up in Grangetown and visited Redcar maybe twice a year on holiday. I always wanted to live there and, when I was 15, I went to work in the town.

"It was in one of those seaside cafes which appealed so much. I was one of the waitresses who wore black with those lovely lace aprons and headdresses.

"We've all seen the postcards, but this is about the people who really live there."

It took Mrs Barker, who lives in Marske, a year to complete her book.

She said: "Coatham always appealed to me, even as a child in the 1940s when travelling to Redcar by bus. I used to think, what a lovely place to live.

"In 1963, I realised my dream when my husband and I brought our very young family to live at 1 Marina Avenue, Coatham, where we stayed for 21 happy years.

"My husband's ancestors had been just over the bridge, in Warrenby, since the 1800s.

"I first visited the village in 1952 and found it a friendly, homely place, with lots of organised events. There was a variety of shops, and a post office, a church and a chapel. There was the popular Warrenby Hotel.

"Although the village has long gone, I feel that there is still a strong bond between ex-Warrenby people, and I hope sharing pictures and information will bring back many happy memories."