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Thursday 9 May 2024
09/05/2024

Edition : Edition 3

Date : 21 Feb 2024 - 28 Feb 2024

If we care, it can’t go on like this

News

Councils up and down the country are grappling with how they continue to look after some of our most vulnerable people. Their efforts are being hamstrung by an overly centralised funding model and a reliance on two out of date property taxes — business rates and council tax. Today The QT begins a series that …

Nick Forbes

Time to set our councils free

I vividly remember, shortly after I was elected Leader of Newcastle City Council in 2011, a political friend asking me why on earth I’d chosen to ruin my career by taking on such a poisoned chalice. The then Chancellor George Osborne and Eric Pickles (the then Secretary of State for Local Government) were proposing deep …

How dad was failed by a broken care system

A month before my eldest son was born my father suffered a stroke. It came out of the blue, and left my dad a shadow of the man he had once been. Born in 1922, he had joined the RAF on his 18th birthday in April 1940, spurred on to enlist out of both patriotism, …

Social care

Cinema

Brighter picture for cinema with new boss

Tyneside Cinema, a much-loved North East cultural institution that in recent years has been too much in the news for the wrong reasons, has a new boss. Nicola ‘Nic’ Greenan took up her post as chief executive officer on February 12, ending a long period in which interim management has had to deal with a …

From the Vaults

When Sam (and Wham!) went to Paris

Arriving into the Vermont Hotel’s function room after my Dad’s funeral on what would have been his 74th birthday was pretty overwhelming. A small group of us had left the very special Newcastle Cathedral service for a private family cremation* so, by the time we got back to Dad’s most favourite of Newcastle’s overnight options, …

The Storytellers

A recipe for rehabilitation

A shaft of light shines down through the leaded window of Newcastle Cathedral. It momentarily dazzles me as it glimmers on the quivering blade of a knife.  It’s in the hands of a young man not long out of prison. As I stand opposite him, we both understand the situation perfectly. Without questioning I hand …

Heritage

Opening chapter revealed for The Story

The opening date for a new attraction tracing County Durham’s heritage has been confirmed for early summer. Based at the Grade II listed Mount Oswald manor house in Durham City, The Story will offer a new home to five historic collections, which are being brought together for the first time. More than 15,000 objects and …

EYES &

EARS

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Sport

Basketball’s economic bounce

Short breaks to the Baltics have become increasingly popular for savvy British holidaymakers seeking a cultural shot in the arm at a competitive price.  Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are as friendly on the eye as they are on the wallet and, with frequent flights from across the UK, it’s little wonder that the tourist industry …

Opera stars hail ‘genius’ behind Little Donkey

There are five of us round the table — two writers, two singers and me — but there’s an unseen presence, the songwriter whose achievements are to be remembered in a new touring show. Eric Boswell was the quiet maestro who gave us Little Donkey, a Christmas staple that many assume has been around since …

Theatre

Chain reaction creates sustainable fashion

Fashion

Of the 32 billion garments produced for the fashion industry every year, 64% end up in landfill.  At a time when millions of people globally are living through a climate disaster and millions more are facing a cost-of-living crisis, it’s a damning statistic that two thirds of the designer goods we purchase annually are carelessly …

Storytellers

Go Wilde in the country

Farmer Dave Wilde — trusty border collie, Joe, zigzagging at his heels — strides towards his flock of grazing sheep, and surveys the scene from the top of the hill: “I’ve found my perfect job,” he says with a broad smile. Welcome to the field of dreams — New Warlands Farm, near Burnopfield, in County …

Chris Stewart

Historic post creates social media storm

So here we go again. A moment of stupidity coming back to bite a politician on the bum. The bum in question this time belongs to Kim McGuinness, a well-regarded figure in the Labour Party who hopes to be elected as the first North East Regional Mayor and who currently serves as Northumbria Police and …

Off The Record

Naked ambition with a Kardashian (sort of)

Before you ask, I’ve never seen Ye naked. I’m talking about Kim Kardashian’s second husband. The one before Mr West and the one after Damon Thomas. The bloke she married and divorced after just 72 days following the whirlwind romance gone wrong. So far, I’ve only seen one of Kim’s hubbies modelling his birthday suit …

Paul Linford

Bridging the gap — a bridge too far?

The old French proverb ‘the more things change, the more they remain the same’ can be applied to many things, particularly in the world of politics — but seldom does it ring more true than in the case of the North-South divide. Over the course of the last 30 years, governments of various persuasions have …

New owners to channel Blyth spirit

Exclusive

One of the biggest names in non-league football is braced for a brave new era after legendary giantkillers Blyth Spartans announced a change of ownership. The Northumberland club famously reached the fifth round of the FA Cup in 1978 only to be thwarted by Wrexham. And now Blyth are aiming to follow in the footsteps …

Hexham

Traders accuse Hexham of commercial suicide

If you live in, or visit, the picturesque Northumberland market town of Hexham you’ll know exactly what this means — ‘thank goodness it’s nearly over’.  Town centre roadworks — or to use county council speak: The Hexham Public Realm Improvement Scheme — have dragged on for nearly 10 months.  According to some furious traders, if …

Reaching for more Michelin stars

The couple behind Northumberland’s first Michelin star restaurant have tabled ambitious expansion plans, which would see them open a new restaurant in the county. Swedish chef Alex Nietosvuori and his Northumberland-born wife, Ally, who opened Restaurant Hjem in the village of Wall in 2019, have submitted a planning application for a purpose-built restaurant-with-rooms on the …

Business

Tony Henderson

Men Behaving Badly (or not?)

Happily, the latest date in the commercial rip-off calendar is now behind us for another year. Valentine’s Day, which sees men clearing petrol stations of tired bunches of tulips, is at least the saviour of the floristry and chocolate industries, in the same way that Christmas accounts for the total annual sales of ceramic models …

Independent retail

Celebrating birthday in style

One of Tyneside’s favourite new haunts for fans of stylish living spaces is poised to celebrate its first birthday after bursting onto the interior decor scene. Bibelot Nook opened on Stepney Road, under Byker bridge, Newcastle, in March 2023 and immediately became a hit with those seeking to refashion their North East pads. Demand led to …

Business

Back to the future

It’s an enduring misconception that most tech entrepreneurs achieve success because they’re either lucky, born into privilege or are even privy to some secret sauce that the rest of us just don’t know about! Mitch doesn’t subscribe to any of that.  Rather Mitch is a “normal lad”, as he describes, “who works hard and solves …

News

Bob the pigeon is a home bird at heart

They say ‘opportunity is a bird that never perches’ and that is certainly the case for Bob the pigeon and his Gateshead owner. When Bob set off for a race from Guernsey in June 2022 to head back home to Blaydon, neither the unsuspecting bird nor his owner could have known they were about to …

Northumbria University is ranked in the top 25 for the number of graduates entering professional employment, with nine out of ten working or studying six months after graduation.

The Storytellers

My Life Through A Lens: John Millard

John Millard, 52 is a former climbing instructor and professional editorial photographer of more than 25 years. He was introduced to the joy of capturing the world by his dad who was an ‘avid amateur and very talented‘ photographer but while he can remember taking the first photo he ever took, he never actually saw …

No time to waste in rubbish quest

Walks along the beach galvanised Jackie Sewell into making it her business to launch a war on waste. Jackie, who had run her own interior design business for 30 years, found herself picking up rubbish — especially plastics — while walking the dog on beaches near her home in Tynemouth. She says:” It showed me …

War on waste

Applications open for culture grants

Funding

A new round of the North of Tyne Culture and Creative Investment Programme grants has opened for applications. Small businesses and freelancers working in the creative and cultural sector in the North of Tyne area are being encouraged to apply for grants up to £8,000. Whether they’re looking to build on commercial ideas, find ways …

Mark Robinson

Unpicking the Arts Council ‘censorship’ row

Last week Arts Council England issued new guidance on how to manage the risks to reputation of ‘political activity’. This resulted into a bit of a brouhaha around perceptions of censorship of the 985 cultural organisations they fund. What’s going on in that row? Arts Council maintain they wrote the guidance to help boards and …

News

Kittiwake Hotels open for business

Two new Tyneside hotels are now open for business – but it will be several weeks before they expect to welcome their first guests. The ‘hotels’ have been erected on top of the towers at the Gateshead side of the Tyne Bridge. It is hoped they will provide nesting ledges for kittiwakes when they return …

Music

All that eco-friendly jazz

Tickets are on sale for two concerts at The Glasshouse in Gateshead which highlight jazz as a broad church and point the way to a more sustainable form of music touring. They also reflect the venue’s full title, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music. The first concert, on May 22, will feature German saxophonist Daniel …

Photography

From punk rock to the Pitmen Painters

Nobody could have been more delighted than Jim Donnelly to win this year’s Northumberland Open exhibition — the first photographer to do so and at the first time of entering. He received his prize in front of a large preview audience in Woodhorn Museum’s Workshop Galleries. Rowan Brown, chief executive of Museums Northumberland, called it …

Safe spaces

Recognition for places of sanctuary

Nine cultural attractions on Tyneside have been recognised as Museums of Sanctuary. All managed by Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives, the venues which have been given the prestigious status by charity, City of Sanctuary UK, include museums, art galleries, Roman forts and a heritage railway. Presented to organisations that go above and beyond the …

Rob Williamson

Vital Signs of effective giving

In the North East, we obsess over government spending, especially with power coming to the new Mayor. And we trumpet new investment by businesses, tracking data for any bright spots of prosperity. But what role should philanthropy play? This would already be a very different place if not for giving of money, time and expertise. …

Arts

Shining a light on the great folk of Teesside

A celebration of migration in Middlesbrough will feature performers and music from around the world to embody those who have made the town their home from the early 1800s to the present day. North East Opera is rehearsing with the Middlesbrough Town Hall Community Choir for a special concert as part of the SHINE festival …

Events

Coast to be centre of the universe

The solar system will be recreated along the North Tyneside coast next month (March) … at a scale of 1:1 billion. The North Tyneside Solar Trail will see a series of scale models of the planets installed along an almost 6km stretch between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. And if you’re trying to wrap your head …

LGBT+ History Month

Has PRIDE taken a fall?

LGBT+ History Month is an opportunity for the North East’s prominent LGBT+ central characters to come together and celebrate past and present achievements. It is also a moment of reflection on issues currently faced across their community, including transphobia. Dr Michael Wilkinson specialises in geriatric medicine for the Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust. He is …

Heritage

Funding for community heritage projects

The untold stories of Newcastle’s drag scene is one of six North East projects awarded grants under a scheme which seeks to celebrate the region’s diverse local heritage. The ventures chosen by Historic England as part of its Everyday Heritage programme to explore working class history have collectively been awarded more than £80,000 to dig …

Theatre

Review: Aladdin

The spectacular musical Aladdin opened at the Sunderland Empire with all the magic, fun and glamour you would expect from Disney – and more. It’s a breathtakingly gorgeous show that shimmers and sparkles with non-stop song, dance and humour.  I might be biased because I love a good musical, but I defy anyone who says …

News digest

Eyes and ears

REGENERATION DEAL: Homes England has announced plans to build 1,100 sustainable homes at Quayside West, a large brownfield regeneration site close to the centre of Newcastle, after agreeing a £7m deal with administrators. Developer Newby announced their plans for the site in 2018 but the company went into administration last year. Peter Denton, chief executive …

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