Newcastle has always been a city of innovation and progress. At the height of the industrial age, the River Tyne was the ‘workshop of the world’ — producing trains, ships and engines that powered industries the world over and have had a lasting and profound impact. It has always been a city of trade and commerce — an outward and …
The news that Alphabetti Theatre’s founding artistic/executive director Ali Pritchard was standing down after a decade of being the driving force at the city centre venue, charity and new-theatre-producing powerhouse was met with a mixture of sadness, admiration and a couple of massive questions. Firstly, who are they going to get to replace him? And …
It may depend upon whether your outlook is more glass half full or glass half empty but next month is a cause for both celebration and regret for those indelibly linked to one of the most famous names in British beer. On July 2, 1999 the last dregs were drained from Vaux’s Castle Street brewery. …
On June 16, 1964, Connie and Tom Pickard organised the first poetry reading at Morden Tower on Newcastle’s mediaeval town West Walls. Over the next few years, against the odds, it became an international centre for poetry and one of the most iconic venues for poetry performances in Britain. It played host to Allen Ginsberg, …
When a famous painting by John Constable turns up in a Jarrow shopping centre, or one by Turner at the Laing, we are excited. We see it from a modern perspective in the light of all we know. Eliot Smith, in his new programme Past & Future, invites us to consider a dance work in …
Recently while watching Mammals, the latest of David Attenborough’s remarkable films about the animal kingdom, I was entranced as a gorilla used the branch of a tree to help him walk along a path through dense jungle. Then he went and spoiled the touching image by braying a rival over the head with it. This …
More evidence has emerged of what was a widespread campaign in the North East for the abolition of slavery. Efforts ranged from buying the freedom of a slave and raising petitions to present to Parliament, to the work of famous engraver Thomas Bewick, a leading anti-slavery figure. Ten years ago part of a bowl of …
I’d spent most of the afternoon on board the US Navy ship turned five-star visitor attraction Intrepid, learning all about life at sea and enjoying unrivalled views of New York’s Hudson River from the famous Pier 86. It reminded me of my brief stint with the Sea Scouts in Blyth: I immediately felt a deep …
The cost of living The opening question in this debate came from Paula, a member of the public who says the cost of living has left her in extreme hardship. Sunak tells Paula that the economy is growing and assured her that he has a ‘plan’ that is working. A snapshot of the British economy …
In a world where opportunities often seem out of reach for young professionals like myself, my university degree was not just a piece of paper: it was a key that unlocked opportunities and propelled me up the social mobility ladder. In today’s climate, where university is dismissed as a waste of time and money, it’s …
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