The Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE , DL
Bianca Robinson
Home is where the heart is
The Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE , DL
Aka Tanni Grey-Thompson
Paralympic legend and parliamentarian
From : Cardiff Lives : Eaglescliffe
I moved to Redcar as my then boyfriend - and now husband - worked at ICI at Wilton , near Redcar . I remember him saying that the roads were brilliant for training on and they were ! The North-East winter winds also toughened me up quite a lot .
When I started working in London , I wanted to make my commute a little easier , so we settled on Eaglescliffe which meant that I had a direct service to London , where I spend more of my working week .
It is a great place to live . I love the fact that we aren ’ t far from escaping to the beach or the North York Moors , or to cities such as Leeds or Newcastle .
I think that I have a connection with Teesside because , having grown up in Cardiff , I see so much similarity to the Welsh valleys in terms of the industry that in both areas was based on coal , steel and chemicals and the huge transition that both have gone through .
Bianca Robinson
Chief executive of Teesside-based national charity , CEO Sleepout
From : New Zealand Lives : Saltburn
I made Teesside my home in 2002 , after meeting and marrying a fella from this neck of the woods . My first look at Teesside was from the A19 , driving down from Edinburgh to tell his parents we were expecting twins . Coming over Shotton Hill , the landscape in front of me was straight out of a Ridley Scott film . I ' d never seen anything like it . But I came to realise that the industrial landscape was the engine of Britain , keeping people in good work for many years .
We settled in the beautiful coastal town of Saltburn . Coming from Wellington in New Zealand , it was important for me to live by the sea - and what a place !
I ' ve raised my girls here , and can open my window and look out upon the sea every day . The beach saved me during lockdown and in dark times after a cancer diagnosis . I love it with all my heart . And I have found that there are many great opportunities here for those that choose to look and are willing to create a good life for themselves . But most importantly , I ' ve found a community - one that has nurtured me , helped me express myself and helped me to grow over the last 21 years . Aside from New Zealand , I couldn ' t imagine living anywhere else .
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