A NEW plaque has been unveiled to celebrate a coastal village’s historical links to the iron and steel industry using an original template from 1974.

The Skinningrove Centenary Plaque was designed by the iron and steel works’ chief pattern maker Cec Gorman and today (Wednesday, May 14) his widow, Betty, unveiled the replica in the village.

Mrs Gorman had kept the original design template following her husband’s death and approached the members of the Skinningrove History Group with the hope of replacing the original, which had been removed.

The group successfully secured funding through the LEADER project, which is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), and with the support of Skinningrove Link Up and Groundwork North East, the plinth has taken centre stage on Doorstep Green.

John Roberts, the secretary of the history group, said: “We managed to secure the funding for the plinth and get the planning permission without any problem, which was really good.

"Betty gave us the original pattern and we used local businesses to recreate the plaque and make a new information panel celebrating the village’s iron and steel history.

“It was really nice to have Cec’s widow, Betty, to come and do the official unveiling.”