Following the minutes of the last LGF meeting… 29/04/24 “There was a lot of unknowns at this stage, and due to the UK Take Over Code there were limitations about what could be discussed.” After, "The company confirmed it had received an “unsolicited, non-binding and highly conditional combination proposal,” which it said it was reviewing with advisers."

Whilst there had been a challenging time during 2023 the production costs of Anglo’s many assets went up the revenues went down and in February 2024 the review of Anglo’s balance sheet was accelerated by the BHP rejected takeover bid, coincidently.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/22/anglo-american-...

However, here we all are at ‘Egton on Ease’. 

‘How did that turn around so Quickly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcBPzqxBnRU

Strategy dictates that to continue at pace you protect and prioritise your balance sheet:

* Maintain the rights to Mine.* Secure the Mineral Rights.* Community Roles* Construction (Capex)

As reported by ‘This is the Coast’ the reductions in workforce have been amended from 80% to 60%.  Huzzah. Challenging times indeed for Worleys, EPCM, Redpath & Strabag. Working with others to condition for ramp up by the end of 2026 when Anglo are set to have completed the sale of 25% of it's older not quite so eco assets ie coal, diamonds etc, that might be useful to others, and are focusing attention to its future balance sheet assets that include the Woodsmith mine.

https://www.thisisthecoast.co.uk/news/local-news/woodsmith-mine-investme...

After much ado about the geopolitical situation, fibs and nibs, and the value of an organic fertiliser as opposed to the ‘ammonium nitrate’ commodity it was agreed that there was ‘no conflict at the mine’. There was absolutely no doubt about selling the product, once mined, pink or otherwise, the significants.  

"Many of the staff supplied via contractors are understood to be international workers and there have been calls to “prioritise local jobs”."

Meanwhile, with only a 70m drop to the water-bearing Sandstone on the focused shaft an SBR needs to drop 6 times to scoop 1.2m and can then empty its bucket, water filled or otherwise, together using rock bolts as temporary support to the tubbing lining using a partial blast to shatter the rock and then a chemical sealant to allow the SBR to continue onwards to its journey to the 1500m.  What a shame they never named them.

Elvis, Springs to mind. It might have been feet or inches but the drilling rig supporting the shaft digging has confirmed that there are no surprises… even down as far as the polyhalite level.  I’m not sure wot WS03 has to do with it but I can only guess it has somin to do with WD40

https://www.thisisthecoast.co.uk/news/local-news/woodsmith-apprenticeshi...

So, how’s Stella doing?  Whilst she appears to be dead and buried thanks to the ‘care and maintenance team’ that are busy washing her new face. Ergo, now at 600m past the Lady Cross Planation it’s having its teeth polished. Apparently they are building a timber frame side tunnel to sneak around to Stella's front face to maintain the TBM's tip top form.  The Lady Cross Plantation shaft, quite handily just up the road from Egton, is about 25m away from the tunnel and the specialist Strabag team are now using this access into the tunnel (MTS) rather that traversing the 29km or so from Wilton.   

Diamonds, Eh. Best not mention Sutton Bank and Play Dough.

"The MTS itself is an environmental mitigation measure for the mine – a means of transporting tens of millions of tonnes per annum of Polyhalite 37 km underneath the North York Moors National Park without any use of road or other surface transport. The modern diesel-electric hybrid tunnel locos use kinetic energy recovery to gain maximum advantage of the steep profile and length of the tunnel, radically reducing emissions and minimising ventilation requirements. The excavated rock is used to cap a large area of historically contaminated land associated with a nearby steelworks which will be brought back into beneficial used by the Client as part of their Port Handling Facility."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT7lwdui4HY

"After being processed, the product will be transported to port via overland conveyor system and the majority will be exported to overseas markets."

Oh, Go on then.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-pP_dCenJA

Shock Absorbers...  Community Funding and the S106

"Is the Community Funding (£1mil pa) going to be reduced?" There were four pillars to this; Education & Health, Skills for Work, Livelihoods and the Foundation Trust. Work is ongoing into pivoting support for those losing their jobs into skills diversification, retraining and enabling SME alternative opportunities. No one seemed to get the 'rephasing and conveying' element of Anglo's latest RNS. But then who would? Anglo's evolving slow down rate did commit itself, as previously stated, to completing the Woodsmith Project. It was confirmed that the future partner investment was only for the Woodsmith Project so expect a new 'entity' to be confirmed in the notsonear future.  About those protectors of the Galaxy... via the Pannet Park Tea Shop.

The Park hadn't put up the infographics but Briony summed up rather neatly the ongoing ecology projects with over 374 hectacres of woodland being planted with over 250,000 trees over 200 veteran trees, 4km of new boundary walls and hedges together with natural eminates, ponds, river works, boundary signs, as per Core Policy D. 

The Rights of Way work was ongoing, as with Roseberry Topping, together with Archaeology, Ancient Trodds, Dark Skies festivals working towards 2025, with S106 matchfunding with external enterprises, DEFRA, Natural England and the National Trust, is under consideration to create future habitat agreements.  The S106 funding is also supporting five apprentices retaining skills in green landscaping and drystone walling.

It was confirmed that no S106 monies are to be used for the 'new palace' at Helmsley, as ironically it was outside of the National Park anyway. Donuts. This brought the requestion regarding a possible project of treeplanting at the Barrowcliff Field alongside the Cindertrack (next to Gallows Close) with a future provision of creating a localised nature reserve to combat all those 'joyriders'.  Briony confirmed this was outside the scope of S106 but would be able to point us in the right direction with other agencies.

With regard to the S106 (£400k ) reserved for Tourism projects it was confirmed this was still for promoting  Whitby only, and not say Harrogate or by Chance any other far flung place.

https://www.yorkshire.com/egton/

Complaints:  Noise, parking, Hawsker all being dealt with sensitively by the Forum.

With all the ongoing redeployed 'uncertainty' it seemed logical to open up a pop up place Whitby Central, where 'locals' could drop in to view the ongoing works, peruse the achievements of this project and be more proactivate in making 'Cuff Links' great again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixbcvKCl4Jc

Merchants and Mammoths.