NEW members have been welcomed to an exclusive club which celebrates their loyalty and long service to their employers.

The 21 people have all worked for 25 years at Cleveland Potash, based at Boulby Mine, east Cleveland, and have joined the firm's 25 club.

They were presented with inscribed gold watches at a ceremony attended by friends and family at Rushpool Hall, Saltburn.

They came from all areas of east Cleveland, Scarborough, Whitby and Yarm.

Their inclusion brings the club's membership to 147, which makes up 17 per cent of the total workforce at the Cleveland Potash mine.

Between them, the 21 members have served 3,675 years at the mine, a fact not lost on chairman Keith Jackson.

He said it was a remarkable achievement and spoke volumes for the spirit that prevailed throughout the entire Cleveland Potash workforce.