northernculturalprojects - Project Examples

Byker Planting Plot

In 2023 we took on a derelict piece of land in Byker and developed it into a safe space for residents of all ages, abilities and from different cultural backgrounds to grow healthy food for self-consumption.

Byker Architects Reunion

As part of the “Byker Living Archives” pilot project, Northern Cultural Projects organised a get-together of several architects and planners who had worked together on the Byker Redevelopment (1969-1982). Mike Drage, Gerry Kemp, Roger Tillotson, Peter Kendrick and Vernon Gracie had not seen each other in person since they finished building the estate.

The project is a partnership between the Oral History Unit and Collective and the Centre for Heritage at Newcastle University. It was funded by the Research & Innovation participatory research fund.

Foodbank Histories

Foodbank Histories was a multi-organisational project which addressed historical and contemporary issues of poverty and food insecurity. Foodbank Histories recorded interviews with clients, volunteers, and supporters of Newcastle West End Foodbank (NWEF), aiming to raise awareness of food poverty and generate income for the foodbank.

By listening to, and sharing, the stories of clients, volunteers, and supporters of Britain’s busiest foodbank, we aimed to challenge myths about food poverty and to understand more about its historical and social context.

Key findings and recommendations from our research have influenced public policy. We will continue working with clients at the West End Foodbank and forming collaborative partnerships to inspire new creative projects.

Live Theatre decided pre-pandemic to make food poverty a long-term focus for young people at their youth theatre. Interviews were used in the development of two shows and connected community outreach programmes, in 2019 and 2024.

A sound installation using interview excerpts was produced by Matthew Tuckey and introduced the performance.

As part of our engagement work we produced ‘Canny Cooks’, a booklet with recipes and stories from, and co-produced by, foodbank clients, challenges prevailing myths around foodbank users’ lack of knowledge and ability around food preparation.

Gateshead and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Gateshead is determined to acknowledge its African and African descended residents throughout the ages.

We supported Gateshead Libraries' research to uncover the lives of African descended people in Gateshead and wrote "Gateshead and the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans", a publication intended for schools which can be downloaded from

https://www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/9675/Local-history-for-schools

WW1 Enemy Aliens & 'Hunting the Hun'

In 2017 we embarked on a project looking at the lives of Germans living in the North of England during the First World War (‘Hunting the Hun’, 2017). In the process we hit on a treasure trove of regional archive material, including over 300 ‘aliens files’ held by Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn. They were police files recording the movements and experiences of aliens from all over the world: ‘friendly aliens’, those whose home countries were neutral or allies, and ‘enemy aliens’, those whose governments had joined the Central Powers.

These cases only represent a small percentage of the total number of foreign nationals in Britain during WW1, people whose lives were often seriously affected by hostile attitudes and restrictive wartime legislation.

We set out to uncover some of these individual experiences, to contribute to a more complex history of WWI that highlights the diverse cultural memories of the period.

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ww1enemyaliens/

Tall Ships Race Sunderland 2018 - Georgian Festival

Holy Trinity Church provided the dramatic backdrop to the Georgian Festival we organised for the UK’s largest free family festival. Games, talks, food, music, dance, sword fights, acrobats, school workshops and of course gorgeous costumes, we had it all.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2016: Heroes of Humanity

For this project we worked with pupils from Gosforth Central Middle School and Excelsior Academy in Newcastle. We taught them about the horrors of the Shoa, the role of rescuers and objectors in general and in particular about the role of 'Righteous Muslims'. The pupils were engaged in discussions about the relevance of these people's stories for their own everyday lives.

The young prepared short plays based on the life stories of Muslim rescuers. These were performed at Newcastle City Library as part of Holocaust Memorial Day 2016.

Haltwhistle Great War Project

This project recorded and preserved WW1 memories, documents and photographs from the former Haltwhistle Rural District.

https://sites.google.com/view/haltwhistleww1/home

https://www.facebook.com/HaltwhistleWW1/

As part of the project we produced a short film with Haltwhistle Youth Club, 'The Enchanted Castle': https://youtu.be/JkIgr0kUFMc

Creative Careers Project

2015 saw the start of our Creative Careers Project. We received a ESF Community Grant to help economically inactive people from ethnic minority backgrounds progress towards employment. We aimed to inform people about possible career paths in the creative industries, help them to make informed decisions and support them with progression routes.

People's situations varied considerably. Some were desperate to find paid employment. Usually they had been educated to degree level in their home countries but had no UK qualifications. Others, mainly women, had never worked before, mainly due to cultural expectations. They felt isolated and were looking for voluntary positions. Lack of confidence, English language and basic skills such as CV writing were common.

We helped with basic skills or refered people to relevant support organisations. We identified voluntary positions, accompanied participants to first contact engagement activities, and offered learning opportunities and work experience. Young people were given the opportunity to achieve accredited Arts Award qualifications.

We also organised a 'Diversity in the Arts' event that brought together emerging and established artists, funders and arts organisations.

Iranian Heritage Project

The Iranian Heritage Project explores Iranian heritage in the North East of England.

It celebrates, records and documents Iranian cultural heritage through public events, a series of talks, and the production of of oral histories, digital stories and learning materials for schools.

The project was run by Northern Cultural Projects CIC in co-operation with the Iranian community and with help from volunteers.

It was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Sir James Knott Trust, and was supported by Newcastle University.

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