North East Labour History

Tyneside Irish Centre: International Brigaders Return, 85th Anniversary Event
2023-12-08 19:00 - 22:00 (Europe/London) | Tyneside Irish Centre, 43 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4SG, United Kingdom
An International Brigade Memorial Trust event at the Tyneside Irish Centre on Friday 8 December, to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the return of the Brigaders from Spain. Doors open 7 pm for 7.15 pm start. The event includes:

40-minute IBMT film, ‘The Brigaders Return!’
Speeches by Alan Mardghum, Durham Miners’ Association general secretary, and Alex Clifford, historian
RTE film, ‘Black Sheep’, about Irish International Brigader, Pastor Bob Hilliard, killed in Spain
Songs performed by Keith Hudson, Margaret Levy and Ron Brown, including two different songs with the same ‘Viva la Quinte Brigada’ title.

Book online at https://tinyurl.com/389nf3sy, or pay on the door. All proceeds to IBMT.

More details at BrigadersReturn

Bishop Auckland, Mining Art Gallery: Book signing - Glenda Young will be signing copies of her novel, The Miner's Lass
2023-12-02 11:00 - 12:30 | Mining Art Gallery, Auckland Tower, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7PG
Book signing – Glenda Young will be at the Mining Art Gallery in Bishop Auckland on Saturday 2 December from 11am to 12.30pm, signing copies of her novel published by Headline, The Miner’s Lass

STARTING TIME CHANGED TO 6:30pm. Tyneside Irish Centre: Dare to Dream - An Evening with Des Geraghty
2023-11-30 18:30 - 21:30 | Tyneside Irish Centre, 43 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4SG, United Kingdom
Des Geraghty is a Dublin-born writer, musician, trade unionist, politician and broadcaster. His most recent book – ‘We Dare to Dream… of an Island of Equals’ is the story of his family and their journey on the rocky road to equality and diversity from the Irish Civil War to date.
The talk has been organised in conjunction with the Tyneside Branch of the Historical Association. Tickets cost £5 and can be found on Eventbrite, at the door or from tyneirishcs@gmail.com
Tyneside Irish Centre can be found opposite St James Metro station
Des will be in conversation with Connal Parr covering a range of topics from the great characters he has known in Dublin over the years to his latest book, ‘Dare to Dream … Of An Island of Equals’. We’re hoping he will give us a turn on his flute as well.
Des Geraghty was born in the historic ‘Liberties’ area of Dublin. He is a former President of SIPTU, Ireland’s largest trade union having spent 34 years as a full timer, in a variety of different positions. He represented the union on the Executive Council of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU); and represented SIPTU and ICTU on numerous national bodies including the National Economic and Social Council and the National Competitiveness Council. From 1992 to 1994 he represented Dublin as a member of the European Parliament.
Des is a former member of the Board of RTE, TG4 (the Gaelic TV station), and the ESB Networks. He was elected by the staff of the Abbey Theatre to their shareholders’ Board and was involved in the restructuring of the Theatre. He is a former Chair of the Affordable Homes Partnership. And from 2010 to 2019, during difficult economic years, he was a Board member of the Central Bank of Ireland.
Des is also a musician and folklorist and since retiring from SIPTU he has written, directed and performed in a number of music, song and poetry productions in both English and Irish. He is currently the Chair of the Clé Club, a traditional music club based in Liberty Hall, SIPTU’s Dublin headquarters.
Des has participated in the making of many Irish TV and radio documentaries. He is the author of Luke Kelly: A Memoir (1994); and, with photographer Liam Blake, 40 Shades of Green (2007). He also co-authored a book which was used on SIPTU Education courses, European Works Councils: Information and Consultation Rights (1997). His most recent publication is We Dare to Dream… of an Island of Equals (2021).

Glasshouse (Sage) Gateshead: Gianfranco Rosolia will be talking about his grandmother, Jennie Shearan who led the campaign for clean air at Monkton Cokeworks
2023-11-25 10:00 - 17:00 | Private: Glasshouse (Sage), Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 2JR
Gianfranco Rosolia is the author of CLEAN AIR which tells the story of the long fight against the environmental pollution caused by the Monkton Cokeworks and who spoke at the NELH Tuesday meeting in April, will be in the North East in November.
You will need to register: https://www.tedxnewcastle.com
Click here for details of Gianfranco’s talk

BOOKS ON TYNE | The Newcastle Book Festival: ZOOM TALK on Shelagh Delaney by Selina Todd
2023-11-21 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
In 1958, Shelagh Delaney, a working-class teenager from Salford, became famous when her debut play, ‘A Taste of Honey’, was staged in London. The play tackled taboo subjects like homosexuality and mixed race relationships.
Against the contemptuous predictions of London’s critics, it became a box office sellout. In this talk, Delaney’s biographer, historian Selina Todd, explores the impact of ‘A Taste of Honey’, what happened to Delaney, and what her story tells us about class, culture and women’s lives in modern Britain.
Her biography ‘Tastes of Honey: Shelagh Delaney and Cultural Revolution’ was described by Ken Loach as ‘brilliant’.
To book your place go to www.booksontyne.co.uk
Newcastle Libraries

Hebburn Library: Gianfranco Rosolia is unveiling a plaque to his grandmother, Jennie Shearan who led the campaign for clean air at Monkton Cokeworks
2023-11-21 11:00 - 12:00 | Hebburn Library, Hebburn Central, Glen Street, Hebburn, NE31 1AB
Gianfranco Rosolia is the author of CLEAN AIR which tells the story of the long fight against the environmental pollution caused by the Monkton Cokeworks and who spoke at the NELH Tuesday meeting in April, will be in the North East in November.
The plaque unveiling will be at Hebburn Library at 11am on Tuesday 21 November https://www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/10956/Library-at-Hebburn-Central

POSTPONED: Sunderland: St Michael's Branch Labour Party, The Labour Movement 1850 - 1950, Remember the Past, Fight for the Future
2023-11-18 09:30 - 16:45 | Hope Street Xchange, Sunderland, SR1 3QD
This event has been postponed. New details will be posted as soon as they are available.
Following last year’s successful event St Michael’s Branch Labour Party are hosting their second Social History Conference on Saturday 18 November at the Hope Street Xchange in Sunderland from 9.30am to 4.45pm.
Boasting a panel of 4 expert speakers from Durham University and Newcastle University, the conference is a way of bringing knowledge and expertise of academic historians to the general public and is open to all who have an interest in, and want to be challenged, by history.
Topics covered will be as follows:
The Chartist Movement and the Formation of the TUC – Dr Victoria Clarke
Keir Hardie and the Founding of the Labour Party – Dr Andrzej Olechnowicz
Ramsay Macdonald and the National Government – Dr Matt Perry
The Labour Movement during the Second World War – Dr Martin Parr
Tickets are £25 including lunch and refreshments.
St Michael’s Labour Social History Conference Tickets, Sat 18 Nov 2023 at 09:30 | Eventbrite

NELH Tuesday Meeting: A Distant World, John Charlton
2023-11-14 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
A Distant World is John Charlton’s account of growing up in the 1950s. He traces his family’s origins, birth, childhood and education in a detailed account which references aspects of family, work, social and political life on Tyneside over his first two decades.
John worked as a school teacher then higher education lecturer at Leeds College of Education, Leeds Polytechnic and the University of Leeds. He has published books on Chartism, New Unionism, Youth and politics on Tyneside, anti-globalisation activism and the North East of England’s involvement in colonial slavery. He is a member of the NELHS Committee.
‘This is without question an exceptional memoir, as much or more a piece of social history as well as being a personal document. The account is both fascinating and socially illuminating.’ Professor Willie Thompson
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81448968967?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 814 4896 8967
Passcode: [REDACTED]
To obtain a copy of the book please email John at johndcharlton1@gmail.com, £13 including postage.

Laura Trevelyan: Black History Conversations 365
2023-11-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom
Our apologies – a fault in the Black History Conversations 365 website has made it impossible to register for this meeting.
However, the link below gives an explanation of why Laura has apologised for her family’s slave-owning past and what she is doing about it now.
https://www.beaconcollaborative.org.uk/laura-trevelyan-i-hope-my-apology-and-reparations-for-my-familys-slave-owning-past-will-set-an-example-to-others/

Laura Trevelyan: “I hope my apology and reparations for my family’s slave-owning past will set an example.” – The Beacon Collaborative
Laura Trevelyan was working as a BBC journalist and news anchor when she found out some of her ancestors had been slave owners. The discovery would take her on a journey to Grenada and propel her from journalist to philanthropist and advocate.
www.beaconcollaborative.org.uk

Meeting organised by Black History Conversations 365 with Laura Trevelyan, co-founder of ‘Heirs of Slavery’.
Friday 10 November at 2.00pm (UK).
For the zoom link to this free event please register at www.blackhistoryconversations.com

International Brigades Commemoration
2023-10-29 14:00 - 15:00 | Grounds of Newcastle Civic Centre
From Martin Levy
The annual ‘Volunteers for Liberty’ event, to commemorate the volunteers from the North East who gave their lives fighting in the International Brigade in Spain, will be held at 2 pm on Sunday 29 October at the memorial plaque in the grounds of Newcastle Civic Centre.
Speakers will include author Alex Clifford and representatives from the Communist Parties of Britain and Spain. There will also be the reading of the names of those who sacrificed their lives, and the laying of wreaths.
While the event is organised by the Communist Party of Britain, all who wish to keep the memory of these volunteers alive are welcome.
Yours in solidarity
Martin Levy

Durham: Invitation, History Now! Black History Month 2023 Event
2023-10-26 17:30 - 19:30 | Great Hall, Durham Town hall, Market Place, Durham, DH1 3NJ
From Liam Liburd:
My name is Liam Liburd and I’m the Assistant Professor of Black British History at Durham University. I’m also the Department of History’s Public History Officer and am responsible for arranging history-related public events across the academic year.
I’m writing to bring our Black History Month event to your attention…
History Now! BHM 2023: Black History in the North East
Thursday, 26 October 2023, 5:30-7:30pm
Great Hall, Durham Town Hall
A discussion of academic research and public history projects on the North East’s Black history to mark Black History Month 2023.Featuring presentations and discussion from:

Busola Afolabi, the Director of Newcastle-based educational charity, Success4All. As part of their work engaging, empowering and motivating young people to succeed in education, Success4All have facilitated youth-led projects on Black history in their local area.

Terry Graham, Head of history at Heworth Grange School in Gateshead and the lead in Project North Star – a multi-faceted project looking at promoting Black history with schools and local communities and amplifying the North East’s history in national conversations on this subject.

Joe Redmayne, a final year History PhD student at Newcastle University interested in global labour history. His thesis situates County Durham during the year 1919 transnationally and explores the global implications of the Empire on British society through regional working-class consciousness. He uses a multi-occupational approach and the category of whiteness to renew our understanding of class consciousness in an age of world empires.

Chaired by Liam Liburd, Assistant Professor of Black British History.
Registration is essential. Please register for free tickets here.
Please do spread the word among your members and contacts and it would be great to some of the North East Labour History Society at the event.
Best wishes,
Liam

Dr Liam J. Liburd
Pronouns: He/him
Assistant Professor of Black British History
Office hours: Mondays 9:30am-10:30am & Thursdays, 2-3pm (book your slot here)
Department of History
Durham University

NELH First Tuesday: Unemployed Resistance (1978 – Now), Trade Unions and Community Organising, Paul Griffin (Northumbria University)
2023-10-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Room ELA 108, Ellison Building, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne
This talk will reflect on the politicisation of unemployment across UK towns and cities in the early 1980s. With a particular focus on trade union and community organising, the presentation will reflect on the role of Unemployed Workers’ Centres in articulating opposition to deindustrialisation, redundancies, and long-term unemployment.
Focusing upon centres as ‘solidarity infrastructures’ allows an analysis that considers the quieter acts of care and advice alongside organising practices and campaigning. This paper revisits these histories through archives and oral histories of unemployed organising and includes reflections on the People’s March for Jobs 1981, the emergence of TUC Unemployed Workers’ Centres and wider unemployed resistances.
Dr Paul Griffin is an Assistant Professor in Human Geography at Northumbria University. His work cuts across labour geography and labour history and has previously considered the historical geographies of Red Clydeside, tracing labour histories in Glasgow during the early twentieth century.
More recently, his work has focussed upon the role of trade unions in society and particularly the links with community action around unemployment. His next project proposes to consider the histories of the emergence of credit unions as a form of solidarity economy.
His work can be found in journals such as Antipode, Geoforum, Political Geography and Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers.

Backbone of the Nation: Mining Communities and the Great Strike of 1984-85
2023-09-26 18:00 - 20:00 | The Lit & Phil, 23 Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
Tuesday 26th September at the Lit & Phil at 6.00pm
Booking: Lit & Phil Members only until 4th September.
In association with Yale University Press
Presented by Robert Gildea
A powerful new history of the Great Strike, based on more than 140 interviews with former miners and their families.
Forty years ago, Arthur Scargill led the National Union of Mineworkers on one of the largest strikes in British history. A deep sense of pride existed within Britain’s mining communities who thought of themselves as the backbone of the nation’s economy. But they were vilified by Margaret Thatcher’s government and eventually broken: deprived of their jobs, their livelihoods, and in some cases, their lives.
In this ground-breaking new history, Robert Gildea interviews those miners and their families who fought to defend themselves. Exploring mining communities from South Wales to the Midlands, Yorkshire, County Durham, and Fife, Gildea uncovers stories of survival, solidarity and redemption. He shows how the miners and their families organized to protect themselves, and how a network of activists mobilized to support them.
Amid the recent wave of industrial action in the United Kingdom, Backbone of the Nation highlights anew the importance of labour organization―and intimately records the triumphs, losses, and resilience of these mining communities.
ROBERT GILDEA is Professor Emeritus of Modern History at the University of Oxford. He is the author of Fighters in the Shadows, Empires of the Mind, and the Wolfson Prize-winning Marianne in Chains.
A LIVE Lit & Phil Event | £3
Please book with the Library Desk team, or over the phone on 0191 232 0192 and your Membership Card Number and they will be happy to help.
The Society assisted Robert with his interviews in the Chester-le-Street and Consett areas and we have 15 tickets available on first come, first served basis which can be reserved through me. They will be held at the door on the night and can be paid for then.

NELH Annual General Meeting, CHANGE OF DATE - now 7 September. Victoria Bazin and Melanie Waters, Feminist Print Magazines and their Influence in the Digital Age project
2023-09-07 19:00 - 20:30 | The Lit & Phil, 23 Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
The date of our AGM has been moved from 12 September to Thursday 7 September. It will be held at the Newcastle Lit and Phil.
The speakers will be Victoria Bazin and Melanie Waters who will be talking about the Feminist Print Magazines and Their Influence in the Digital Age project.

NELH Tuesday Meeting: Tony Fox will talk about Phyllis Short, lifelong Teesside Communist
2023-08-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Venue to be notified
Behind every great man there’s a great woman, or so goes the old adage. Phyllis Short was the wife of George Short, the Communist Party District Secretary for Teesside, but simply saying this disguises the campaigns for social justice that she herself led.
Born into the mining community of Chopwell, when they moved to Stockton in 1931 they began a lifetime’s campaign to improve the lives of people on Teesside and beyond. This talk will describe Phyllis’ eventful life, highlighting the ways she fought against injustice locally, nationally and internationally during the most turbulent period of the 20th Century. Her friends and family remember her as a working-class hero, who faced down all enemies to champion a better and fairer society, this talk aims to show why she should be remembered by a much wider audience.
Tony Fox, a history teacher, chaired the Durham Branch of the Historical Association for fifteen years. Author of I sing of My comrades: remembering Stockton’s International Brigaders, he is a member of the International Brigade Memorial Trust and has published a number of articles on International Brigade volunteers and memorials. This latest talk is the result of recent research and collaboration with the family of George and Phyllis Short.
Here’s the link:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85072858100?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 850 7285 8100
Passcode: [REDACTED]

CRAMLINGTON TRAIN WRECKERS (from Ed Waugh)
2023-07-26 14:00 - 18:30
Wednesday, July 26 @ 2pm & 6.30pm
The Hub, Cramlington
We had 160 at the meetings about the Cramlington Train Wreckers on March 30 and the follow-up film/talk in July 26 has already attracted 75 people with seven weeks to go.
The event during the General Strike led to the imprisonment of eight Northumberland miners for a total of 48 years.
A campaign by the labour and trade union movement got them out a lot earlier. It’s an incredible story.
Given it happened during the General Strike of 1926, and we are approaching the centenary, we are working with local organisations on the project.
Also Google: “Cramlington Train Wreckers” to see the work we’ve already done.
We have secured the rights to the 30-minute (1970) BBC film called Yesterday’s Witness, about the Cramlington Train Wreckers.
Ed
07960066377
TO PURCHASE TICKETS
2pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-cramlington-train-wreckers-a-30-minute1970-bbc-film-tickets-607220852917
6.30pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-cramlington-train-wreckers-a-30-minute1970-bbc-film-tickets-607187172177

Tuesday Meeting: Disruption and control: Contesting mobility regimes through the picket line in 1970s Britain with Diarmaid Kelliher by Zoom on 18 July at 7.00pm
2023-07-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Through an account of the relationship between picket lines and drivers in Britain, this talk thinks about questions of mobility in labour history.
It focuses on three moments in this period. First, the 1972 miners’ strike, when interactions between pickets and hauliers produced moments of powerful solidarity but also violent conflict.
Second, debates around a legislative proposal to require drivers to stop and listen to pickets, in which contrasting conceptions of mobility ‘rights’ were employed.
Third, the 1979 road haulage strike, which demonstrated drivers’ own ability to disrupt the economy through picketing. At stake in all three was a question of power over movement. Such a focus draws attention to complex methods of control, which can be missing in labour histories that emphasise the purely disruptive nature of industrial action and picketing.
Diarmaid is a Lecturer in Human Geography in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences at the University of Galsgow.

Sunderland Minster, Remember Srebrenica
2023-07-11 18:30 | Sunderland Minster
From Peter Sagar
Sunderland Minster, 6.30pm, 11 July
As some of you are aware, 11th July marks the 28th anniversary of the terrible genocide at Srebrenica in Bosnia when 8372 innocent men and boys were murdered by Serbian forces, during the war in the former Yugoslvaia. Other massacres also took place during that terrible conflict and all these as well as the events at Srebrenica are remembered by the Bosnian community in the North East every July.
This year the main ceremony in our region is in Sunderland at the Minster on 11th July and the proceedings begin at 6pm. These are always very moving and informative events and are very well worth attending. They are opportunities to remember those who lost their lives in the war in Bosnia and also consider how we should respond here in the Northeast in our communities, to lessen hatred and help build strong communities that can work together to deal with the challenges we face.
I hope some of you can attend.

Songs and Politics of the Durham Coalfield
2023-07-06 19:00 - 23:00 | Durham City Rugby Club
Join Education4Action in celebrating the songs and politics of the Durham Coalfield with the Folk Music singer/songwriters The Elliot’s of Birtley, and Benny Graham, Pitmen Poet and giant of the North East Folk Scene. Mary Foy MP will also be speaking at the event and there will be a talk from Robert Gildea on his new book ‘Backbone of the Nation – the story of the support groups in 1984/5’ which E4A contributed to.
Bill Elliott (Elliott’s of Birtley) and Kevin Youldon have played Folk Music together for over 30 years and are well-known on the North East Folk scene. Ken Tonge is a fine Folk musician originally from Lancashire who is well-known on the local folk scene and has performed in Folk Clubs, Festivals etc. for over 50 years. They all regularly perform in Beamish Museum and other venues.
Benny Graham served his musical apprenticeship from 1967 in the folksong clubs of North East England such as in Birtley, run by the Elliott family, and Newcastle Folksong and Ballad (which featured among its regulars the High Level Ranters and Lou Killen) were at the forefront of the British folk revival.
Real ale & bar food
Tickets: £5 on the door. Register in advance by emailing kathleenhconnolly@hotmail.co.uk

Sheffield Hallam University. Annual Chartism Conference on 17 June
2023-06-17 09:00 - 17:00 | Sheffield Hallam University, Room 1028, Owen Building, Sheffield, S1 2LX
From Joan Allen
The annual Chartism Day conference is being held at Sheffield Hallam University on Saturday 17th June.
Entry is free and includes a light lunch. However, pre booking is required so that the organising team can order food and manage any food intolerances/allergies.
Full details, including the Eventbrite booking form, can be found on the Society for the Study of Labour History website: https://sslh.org.uk/2023/05/01/chartism-day-2023/ Pre booking will close on 13th June.

Tyneside Irish Centre. Celebrating Our Traditions
2023-06-15 19:00 - 22:00 | Tyneside Irish Centre, 43 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4SG, United Kingdom
From Peter Sagar
Celebrating Our Traditions is a series of multicultural events, held at the Tyneside Irish Centre, featuring our Northumbrian music and song as well as some of the many great cultural traditions, which have been brought to our region by those who have to come to live here. It always makes for a great cultural mix and a lovely evening!
The next Celebrating Our Traditions event will be held in the Gallowgate Room, Floor 2 at the Tyneside Irish Centre, 43 Gallowgate NE1 4SG starting at 7.30 pm on Thursday 15 June. It will include contributions from the following:
Jamie Brown, well-known northeast actor, singer and musician singing songs with a local flavour.
Francis Jones and Amer Ratkusic reading poetry from Bosnia
Koroush Nazery, Iranian musician playing music from Iran
Peter Sagar, singer-songwriter, singing Northumbrian songs both old and new
Irish and other music tbc
The doors open at 7 pm on Thursday 15 June and it should be a great evening! It would be great to see you there and please pass this on to others who might be interested. People can get more information about this event by emailing peter0462@gmail.com.

POSTPONED: NELHS Tuesday Meeting: John Charlton will talk about the first volume of his autobiography: A Distant World, Growing up on Tyneside in the Early Fifties.
2023-06-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Tonight’s talk has been postponed due to illness. John is sorry he can’t make the meeting but we will re-arrange it for another time and, in the meantime, I’m sure we all wish him a very speedy recovery.

You are invited to Washington Heritage Partnership’s Summer Networking Event
2023-06-06 12:00 - 15:30 | North East Land, Sea and Air Museum, Washington Road, Sunderland, SR5 3HZ
Tuesday 6th June 2023, North East Land, Sea and Air Museum, from 12noon
Those of you who attended our introductory event in February will be aware of how productive it was in helping everyone to find out more about how the Washington Heritage Partnership can benefit you and your groups/organisations. Come along to our summer event, which will be another great chance to bounce around ideas, to explore the museum, and also to hear from:

Lizzy Baker of Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums will tell us about collections management and conservation: how do we best curate what we have?
Project Choices will give some insights into how heritage volunteering can enhance the life- and work- skills of young people with autism

The event will also provide an opportunity for updates on:

Funding opportunities and grants for heritage and cultural organisation operating in Washington, including an update on our Small Grants programme.
Free and bespoke training and support opportunities.

Most of all, we want to hear from you! Share your insights and approaches, and tell us what we can do to enrich the heritage offer in Washington.
Event itinerary

12:00-1:00pm

Lunch, networking and a chance to explore the museum

1:00-1:30pm

Updates on Partnership Activities

1:30-1:50pm

Project Choices – supporting young people with autism to become heritage volunteers

1:50-2:00pm

Comfort Break

2:00-3:00pm

Lizzy Baker, TWAM – conservation, curation and collections. How do we care for and record the resources we hold?

3:00-3:30pm

Networking

3:30pm

Close

Please RSVP by 5pm Friday 26th May so we can confirm catering, either via this form or by replying to me at judithmurphy@communityopportunities.co.uk, letting us know if you have any special dietary requirements.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
All the best
Jude Murphy
Heritage and Culture Development Coordinator
Washington Heritage Partnership

Northumbria University: Liberating Histories: Activist Legacies Roundtable. A discussion of feminist print magazines and their influence in the digital age
2023-05-25 10:00 - 16:00 | Hedley Suite, Sandyford Building, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne
Guest Speakers: Penny Remfry (Scarlet Women) Sharan Dhaliwal (Burnt Roti) Rosanne Rabinowitz (Bad Attitude) Artists Kate Taylor (Trouble & Strife) & Fanny Tribble (Spare Rib), further speakers to be confirmed.
Please sign up on Eventbrite
Free lunch and wine reception included
Visit our website to find out more about the project:
https://liberatinghistories.org/
Follow us on Twitter: @LibHistories & Instagram: liberatinghistories

NELHS Meeting: 'Mutual Aid in the North East Past and Present' with Silvie Fisch and Rosie Serdiville
2023-05-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Tyneside Irish Centre, 43 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4SG, United Kingdom
Please note the date of this meeting has been moved from Tue 23 May to Wed 24 May: Tyneside Irish Centre. 7:00pm
The Topic
By the time of the first Covid lockdown, the UK’s existing infrastructure of food banks and other formalised support services were inadequate in responding to the demands driven by the pandemic. Mutual Aid responders stepped in to “fill the gaps” between need and formalised support.
Thousands of ordinary people across the UK (and worldwide) took action and formed Mutual Aid groups. But while the groups emerged spontaneously in response to need, Mutual Aid responders were drawing on traditions of mutuality, solidarity and self-care that have a long history.
In their presentation Silvie Fisch and Rosie Serdiville will look at the past and present of Mutual Aid in the North East. This will include findings of the ‘Mutual Aid Oral History Project’ at Newcastle University.
Collection
If you wish you will be able to donate to the Arthur’s Hill Solidarity Fund – for people who live in the inner west end of Newcastle, intended for those who are struggling financially, given on a no questions asked basis
Our Speakers
Silvie Fisch is the Director of Northern Cultural Projects, a community history and cultural organisation, and an Associate Researcher at the Oral History Unit and Collective at Newcastle University. She passionately believes in the power of culture to enhance the quality of life of vulnerable and disadvantaged people and communities.
Rosie Serdiville is a member of the NELHS Committee and Editor of North East History.

Land of Oak and Iron. CLEAN AIR: Monkton Cokeworks. Talk and Book Signing by Gianfranco Rosolia
2023-05-20 12:30 - 14:30 | Land of Oak and Iron Heritage Centre, Spa Well Road, Winlaton Mill, Blaydon on Tyne, NE21 6RU
Gianfranco Rosolia, who gave an excellent talk at our recent meeting on the history of the Monkton Cokeworks, will be speaking at theLand of Oak & Iron Heritage Centre on Saturday 20 May from 12.30 – 2.30pm for a “meet the author” & book-signing.
The address is Spa Well Road, Winlaton Mill, Blaydon upon Tyne, NE21 6RU
People can buy an author-signed copy of the paperback on his CLEAN AIR website: https://clean-air-book.square.site/
Alternatively the book is available in ebook, paperback, hardback and audiobook on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CLEAN-AIR-Gianfranco-Rosolia/dp/1739102401

May Day in South Tyneside
2023-05-01 19:00 - 22:00 | Alberta Social Club, Railway Street, Jarrow, NE32 5HW
From Paul Mayne
South Tyneside Trades Council is organising a May Day Celebration, which will be on Monday May 1st at the Alberta Social Club, Railway Street, Jarrow NE32 5HW starting at 7.00pm.
The club is very close to Jarrow metro station on the Newcastle bound side. The speakers are: Kate Osbourne, MP for Jarrow, Emma Lewell Buck, MP for South Shields and Terry McPartlan from the Centre for Unemployed Workers in Gateshead.
Entertainment provided by the Shamrock Street Band. This will be a distance for some members to travel but the venue is not too inconvenient for folk near a metro station or who live in the Gateshead or South Tyneside areas. It would be nice to have a good turn out.

2023 Tyne & Wear May Day celebration
2023-04-29 - 2023-04-30 | Grey’s Monument, Newcastle upon Tyne
Assembly from 11 am at
the Bandstand, Exhibition Park, Newcastle
Bring your banners and placards!
March leaves at 11.30 am, led by the RMT Fishburn Band
Rally at Grey’s Monument at 12 noon
Speakers include:
FRAN HEATHCOTE PCS president
DAVE KING RMT national executive
SUZANNE REID Unite regional coordinating officer
LINDSEY GERMAN Stop the War Coalition convenor
plus supporting local speakers
___________________________________________
Social after the rally at the
Tyneside Irish Centre
43 Gallowgate NE1 4SG
Lunchtime food available
Entertainment from the BELTA REIVERS

NELH Tuesday Meeting. Gianfranco Rosolia: Clean Air, the long community struggle against the environmental damage caused by the Monkton Coke Works
2023-04-11 19:00 - 20:30 | Venue to be notified
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87434759208?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 874 3475 9208
Passcode: [REDACTED]
The inspirational true story of a dynamic Geordie woman’s rise from ordinary housewife to remarkable environmentalist.
‘An inspirational true story about female empowerment, grassroots activism and environmental justice. What an eloquent spokesperson Jennie Shearan was.’ Sting
‘A wonderful record of Jennie Shearan’s extraordinary campaign for environme ntal justice. CLEAN AIR recounts the vision, courage, and staying power of Jennie and her close colleagues in the Hebburn Residents’ Action Group. They provided hope for countless people.’ – Jonathon Porritt CBE
‘Jennie Shearan was a remarkable woman who was rooted in – and utterly devoted to – her local community. CLEAN AIR is a timely reminder of the importance of honouring women such as Jennie who can inspire others to follow her example of pursuing worthwhile causes and giving selfless public service.’ – Baroness Joyce Quin, former Europe Minister‘An inspiring story of an indomitable woman fighting for the health and well-being of a poor community against the combined power and influence of big business, supine regulators, and government.’ – Dr Wendy Le-Las
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Gianfranco Rosolia is a Literature graduate from the University of Cambridge and has an MBA from Bayes Business School. CLEAN AIR is his first book. Born and raised in the North East of England, he currently lives in Austin, Texas with his partner Michelle.
Jennie Shearan and the Hebburn Residents’ Action Group deeply loved their community. They put their heart and spirit into improving the lives of ordinary people. Their redoubtable efforts left a deeply positive and long-lasting legacy, giving thousands of people hope for a stronger and healthier future and transforming their quality of life.
To continue their good work, all proceeds from CLEAN AIR will go directly to three charities that represent what Jennie was fighting for:
Friends of the Earth: https://friendsoftheearth.uk
The Environmental Law Foundation: https://elflaw.org
Hebburn Helps: https://hebburnhelps.co.uk

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists at the Tyneside Irish Centre
2023-03-24 19:30 - 22:00 | Tyneside Irish Centre, 43 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4SG, United Kingdom
Neil Gore’s brilliant one man show returns to Tyneside Irish Centre on 24th March 2023
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists adapted by Neil Gore from the book by Robert Tressell, directed by Louise Townsend
Neil Gore, presents a one-person version of the classic novel by Robert Tressell featuring projection, political conjuring tricks, live music and song. Meet the famous characters and enjoy the scenes, speeches and songs, featuring the Great Money Trick as its centrepiece.
This enduring and absorbing classic story of a year in the life of a group of Edwardian painters and decorators is brought to life by Neil Gore using his extensive knowledge of the book and the play, having performed it in many versions over forty years.
‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’ follows a group of workers as they renovate ‘The Cave’, a three-storey town house, for Mayor Sweater. It traces their hardships and struggles for survival in a complacent and stagnating Edwardian England.
These workers are the ‘philanthropists’ who throw themselves into back-breaking work for poverty wages in order to generate profit for their masters. They are joined by artist Owen, whose spirited attacks on the dishonesty of Capitalism along with his Socialist vision, highlights the exploitation in their workplace but also focuses on the inequality in society as a whole.
Tickets £15, £10 concesssions.- available on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/518591379777 or contact us on 0191 261 0385 or at tyneirishcs@gmail.com
