Walker cuts seal pup free from netting on beach
Footage captured on one of Sunderand’s beaches shows a walker cut free a seal pup which had become entangled in netting.
Bogdan Artuhro Tocitu Moneata, who lives in Seaham, was filmed freeing the seal while on a walk along the seafront.
The 47-year-old, who works as a delivery driver for Amazon, spotted the pup lying on the beach with netting caught around it’s body.
He quickly grabbed the animal and was able to cut the blue netting, which had wrapped around the pup’s neck and body.
The Romanian fatherof-three, who has been living in Sunderland for one year, shared the video with his children, who posted the video on his hometown’s news website which hailed him a hero.
His friends and family say Bogdan is an animal lover who has rescued various animals and nursed them to health in the past.
However it is not advised that people should attempt to rescue seals on our beaches. The British Divers Marine Life Rescue has a hotline if people see marine life and feel they may be injured or need help.
The guidance says: “Seals are susceptible to being entangled in fishing gear and other debris. Heavy commercial gear will be obvious, but monofilament nets and line is hard to see, but could be caught around the neck, flippers and body.
"Sometimes seals can have nasty wounds due to fishing gear and marine debris cutting into their bodies.”
“If you see a seal that may be abandoned, thin, ill or injured, then call for advice and assistance.”
Proposals for the future of Hetton-le-Hole Nursery School have taken a step forward following a decision by council chiefs.
In 2020, Sunderland City Council revealed its intention to explore the closure of the nursery school due to its rising deficit since 2015 and low pupil numbers.
Since the announcement, theproposalshavesparkedopposition from the community with an online petition raising almost 1,400 signatures.
Hetton Town Council, parents and nursery staff have also vowed to fight the proposed closure, noting the nursery school’s heritage and ‘outstanding’ provision.
A pre-publication consultation, which was launched by the city council in early January2021,received490responses in just under four weeks, with 95% opposing the closure proposal.
Despite this, Sunderland City Council’s cabinet have agreed to publish notice of statutory proposals to close the nursery.
OncepublishedlaterinFebruary,thiswilltriggerafurther four-week‘statutorynoticeperiod’ before a final decision is made.
CouncillorLouiseFarthing, cabinet member for children, learningandskills,introduced areportonthematteratacabinet meeting on Tuesday.
“It’s always with great sadness that one has to present a report requesting the start of statutory proposals to close a school,” she said.
“In recent years because of funding changes and the increasing costs associated with delivering a maintained nursery provision, Sunderland’s maintained nursery schools have faced significant financial pressures.
“Hetton-le-Hole Nursery now has an unrecoverable financial deficit, it’s estimated that despite the best efforts of thenurseryleadershipandthe council to reduce costs, that the nursery will have a budget deficit of over £170,000 by the end of the current financial year.
“Andthisisprojectedtorise to more than £200,000 by the end of 2023. The nursery is no longer able to operate within its own budget and because of this it’s unfortunately not considered sustainable.
“I’ve investigated in great detail that the setting could not improve its position even if it had numbers of children attending.”
Cllr Farthing said the nursery school was “absorbing funding from the pooled lump sum payment to the detriment of other nursery schools not only in its own locality, but right across Sunderland”.
The council chief added that the council is committed to ensuring that there are enough nursery places in Hettontomeetdemand,including proposals to establish nursery provision at the new Hetton Primary School.
This nursery provision aims to ensure there is no loss of two, three or four-year-old capacity in Hetton as a consequence of the proposed closure.
If the closure is approved, nursery provision would be availablefromtheexistingHetton Primary School site from September 2021.
According to a report prepared for cabinet, comments in the pre-publication consultation highlighted the quality of provision and staff at Hetton-le-Hole Nursery School and the ‘continuity of transition for young people.’
For more information and updates, visit: www.sunderland.gov.uk/article/17835/ Consultation-on-Proposal-toClose-Hetton-le-Hole-Nursery