I love the North East, me!

This post and the events behind my writing it come at an interesting time; The Guardian has compared the north east of England to Detroit, the article making derogatory remarks about the area and publishing unflattering photographs.  It’s incredibly easy for anyone not living here to take what’s printed in black and white by people who often haven’t been further north than Birmingham, as gospel.  So many folks out there blindly trust the words of reporters.  They often instinctively choose the newspaper they read every day based on the matching political and moral views of the world.  Most won’t even realise why they’ve chosen the newspaper they have.  Some may even just buy it because, “It’s what my parents read every day”.  How many years has my dad been reading the Daily Express?  To my knowledge he doesn’t even pick up another newspaper unless there’s no alternative, and the only times I’ve seen a variety in his home is when people come to stay and they’ve bought them themselves.

 

It’s a sad state of affairs when people around the world (thanks to the internet) are being told that not only is the North East dilapidated, but its residents are personifying this very state.  I keep hearing that we’re sad and depressed, we’ve given up and we don’t care anymore.  Why should we give a toss if no one else does?

 

Having read the article numerous times while trying not to hunt down the reporter and kick him… hard… I find it difficult to comprehend that the North East is viewed as such a bleak, uninspiring, downright depressing area.  I’ll admit that there are areas that are lacking support, that we often appear to be overlooked for funding and that businesses have closed regardless of which town you focus on, but this is not only what the North East is; it’s also people, love, spirit and passion.

 

There are some quotes within the article that made my blood boil and although I want to address a few of them, this blog post isn’t about picking apart the Guardian article piece by piece.  Plenty of other people have done that already and much more eloquently that I ever could.  But there are some points I feel so strongly about that I can’t ignore them.

 

"It is time to stop pretending that there is a bright future for Sunderland."

Or anywhere, I suppose?  Things start to get tough and we give up?  Really?  That’s the attitude that rebuilt Britain after two World Wars?  The day we give up trying to provide a bright future for our town, cities and the generations to come is a day I hope never happens, and my experience is that we fight harder, we work together and we find the solutions.

 

Of Middlesbrough, "To a visitor, the long, straight streets of the town centre seem eerily empty of pedestrians."

Which Middlesbrough did he visit, I wonder?  Each time I go into Middlesbrough Town Centre the streets are packed with shoppers, and no that’s not only on a Saturday.

 

Harry Pearson commented on, amongst many other things, "...the emptiness of the North York Moors"

Emptiness?  Well no it’s not exactly filled with buildings and bustling crowds otherwise it wouldn’t be the moors!  But it is a stunning natural landscape that offers a peaceful break from the stressful working day and I wouldn’t ever want to be without its splendour.

 

Alex Niven "...it seems absurd to think that Middlesbrough does not have a long-term future.”

It seems absurd to me that anyone would think that Middlesbrough is a dying town.  I live here.  It may not be the most beautiful of places to live, but it’s far from being on its knees and it has many redeeming features.  Open your eyes.

 

Tony Trapp "Persuading clever people from the south to come here is quite hard."

Okay, the gloves are off.  Clever people live in the north east, too.  Clever people are not limited to having grown up and educated in the south of England.  Clever people are everywhere, but those clever people don’t always have degrees and tens of thousands of pounds of student debt.  Some do, and those clever people live in the North East too.    But so many clever people are too often overlooked because they don’t have pieces of paper to prove they’re clever.  Because god forbid a clever person has a northern accent and hasn’t dared to attempt to move to London.

 

Alex Niven: "There is this sort of sadness. It feels like a people who've been weakened, who've just been cut loose." And "The north-east has a brash, confident side. There's also often a sense of slumbering potential, that one day a messiah or a revival will come."

I don’t feel sad about the area.  I feel optimistic about its future because I opened my eyes to the people who are working hard to make things better.  Everywhere I look there are dedicated people giving young people new opportunities, helping independent businesses to open and stay open, supporting charities with their valuable time, and there are positive changes in the landscape and business in the area.  The ‘messiahs’ are already here, they just don’t stand at a podium in overpriced suits making promises they can’t keep.  They toil away making as little noise as possible, and before you realise it something good is happening and you’re reminded once again of how wonderful the North East and its residents are.

 

Now… okay, that’s out of the way I’d like to focus more specifically on this sadness and weakening we’re reported to be suffering from, and I’d like to set the record straight in a very specific way.

 

On Monday evening I attended a public meeting to ‘Save the Regent Cinema’ in Redcar.  Having never been to such a meeting I was a little tentative.  I didn’t know the whole story behind its history or even what the most recent developments were.  All I knew for sure was that the person who runs it, Neil, was struggling, and that for the last few years the building itself looked like it was about to be knocked down or washed away with the tide.  He needed some help.

 

There were some misunderstandings to iron out in the beginning, although one particular councillor was adamant he would repeatedly get his point across about not demolishing the cinema, whilst coming across arrogant and inflammatory throughout almost the whole hour.  To me he unfortunately epitomised the clichéd councillor until the very end of the meeting, when he did finally apologise for his manner to some individuals.  I’m at least grateful for the fact that I witnessed one such apology, because it restored some of my faith in councillors still being human.

 

What the meeting did show me was what I already knew; that the residents are passionate about their area.  They care about the heritage and the people who tirelessly work to keep such buildings and facilities open.  There was indeed heated debate at times and it occasionally felt unnecessary, but to the individuals speaking the raised voices were born of a real passion for the building they were trying to save for future generations.  They cared.  If nothing else was obvious at that meeting, I walked away knowing that Redcar has a core of people who want their town to be nurtured and built upon, and looked after with positive direction and a gentle hand.

 

The Regent Cinema stands alone on the seafront, its façade worn and tired but that will change thanks to promises from the council to find ways to help Neil with the maintenance; a more flexible contract, perhaps, but definitely a new canopy.  It was encouraging to hear the councillor admit that the Regent was at the “end of the regeneration line”.  Those precise words.  For someone to finally acknowledge what we already knew, that the cinema had damn near been forgotten amongst the big plans for the seafront, was worth the trip to the meeting in itself.

 

The lovely Regent sits with the gorgeous coastline as its backdrop.  I can look at the cinema today and see its beauty and the memories that lie within it; it doesn’t need a coat of paint for me to see its value and I’m clearly not alone.  Eventually though, I have confidence that when scanning the lovely new seafront with its crisp, new seawalls, big comfy shelters, fountains for playtime and the Beacon, that one day the Regent Cinema will fit.  It will once again look comfortable amongst its new surroundings and stand proud, just as it should.

 

It’s true that a multiplex cinema is being discussed at the site of the Coatham Bowl, and yes this will pose a risk for the Regent’s future, but only if it stands still.  Many possibilities were discussed for the future of the building in the event of a multiplex cinema being built, and people clearly want to find ways to not just keep it, but to make it ‘the place to be’ in Redcar.  I sat listening to the ideas and loved the enthusiasm behind them.  People spoke of its history and importance in their upbringing, and how much the grandchildren like going to see films there.  One lady remembered tap dancing on the stage while it was still a theatre.  Did you know it originally opened as a skating rink?  And apparently Clark Gable even sold kisses there to raise money for the war effort.

 

The Regent holds a special place in many people’s hearts and their eagerness to help Neil keep it running, in whatever guise, was uplifting.  I have no doubt that if nothing else, Neil could walk away that evening knowing that he’s not alone.  He has support, some new friends, and a lot of people passing on their contact details to help in absolutely any way they can to help secure the Regent’s future.

 

My little corner of the North East is loved.  It’s truly loved.  There will always be some people who do it down, who complain that it’s not what it used to be, and these people seem to have an inane ability to ignore all the good things their town has to offer them.  I’m convinced that these same people don’t see the good because they don’t want to see it, but from what I witness day after day they’re in the minority.  And we should remember that these pockets of people who are so sad and disheartened about their lives and the area they live in can be found in every town, city and even village, regardless of their position on a map.

 

Whether I’m sat in a public meeting to help save a beautiful cinema, at Stockton Town Choir singing my heart out, walking along Redcar seafront watching the families playing or just sat on a park bench watching the world go by, I can feel how much the area is loved.  Councils are working harder to improve facilities, grants are being won to restore buildings (The Globe in Stockton being a big one), people are finding ways to help their communities, others are finding inclusive and impressive ways to remember our fallen ancestors, some are opening new, independent businesses in previously abandoned shops, and so much more.

 

And let’s not forget the wider area.  How much do I love being able to jump in the car, drive for ten minutes and be in the North Yorkshire moors or by the stunning coastline?

The North East is beautiful.  Northerners are (mostly!) friendly with a wicked sense of humour.  Yesterday I walked past a complete stranger in the warm sunshine and he boldly and brightly smiled and said, “stunning day!”  When did that last happen in London?  Don’t get me wrong, I love London; it has a huge amount to offer, but my experience is that it’s cold and impersonal.

 

I live in the North East because I love it.  I’ve lived here for all but two of my thirty-nine years.  One day I might decide I’d like to try living elsewhere, but quite honestly I can’t imagine a day when that will happen.

 

I’m surrounded by people who see our area for what it is; warm, beautiful and welcoming.  Yes, it has its struggles like anywhere else but we’re not blind to the big picture.  We are clever people who work hard to improve our environment, our lives and those of the people around us.

 

And regardless of where I stand, our big picture here in Teesside is bloody gorgeous!