Some images of the Tyne nd Wear Fire and Rescue service training at Marsden, South Shields.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue training at Marsden.
Although it was nice and sunny the winds were very strong coming off the North Sea!
Mark Allison, AKA Run Geordie Run, is back on the road again after breaking his ankle 3 months ago. Story and pics here
John Hussey, De La Rue Chief Executive, has resigned….. more
A report by David Hoffman and Andrew Wiard of EPUK on the Royal Photographic Society’s U-Turn on getting their members to give free images to the South West Tourism Board.
It seems that enough people, members of the RPS and non-members, have had their voices heard. We will all have to wait to see what the RPS and SWT come up with in the way of new terms and conditions.
The PR shots for Kingsmill Bakeries who sponsored the new football kits for special school Eslington Primary in Gateshead Tyne and Wear….Gallery here
Kingsmill PR Shoot
Raoul Moat’s funeral was held at West Road Crematorium, Newcastle today amidst rumours of heavy police presence and hero worshipers ready to hijack the service.
Raoul Moat's Funeral, Newcastle 02/08/2010
The coffin carrying Raoul Moat's body
Raoul Moat's coffin enters the chapel at West Road Crematorium, Newcastle
Neither were present at the 20 minute service which, in contrast to the events of the last 4 weeks, was very low-key attended by approximately 100 to 150 people.
Charles Alexander, Raoul Moat's uncle greets guests at the funeral service
Work colleagues of Raoul Moat attend the funeral service.
Friends and colleagues attend the funeral service of Raoul Moat
The press turned out in force and after the service the family asked to be allowed to mourn Mr.Moat’s death with privacy and respect.
The press teams covering Raoul Moat's funeral, Newcsastle 02/08/2010
Update: Ellesse have now changed their T&C’s for this competition. See the main story for more details.
A photo competition being run by sportswear company Ellesse has been exposed by photographers as an unfair, rights grabbing ploy to gain free images for their own use without payment or recognition of the original photographers. Read more…..
The Trinity Square car park in Gateshead has finally begun to come down.
The machines from Thompsons of Prudhoe moved in at 11:44am today, 26th July 2010, and began the long process of nibbling away at the “Brutalist style” structure that will take approximately 8 weeks to demolish completely.
Get Carter gets bitten!
Locals gathered outside Tesco’s supermarket in Gateshead expecting to see it blown up but because of the way it was built, with a lot of steel reinforcement, it has to be brought down piece by piece.
Everybody I spoke to at the site today said they were glad to see it coming down at last and a lot of them said it should have never been built in the first place.
Love it or hate it the structure has been a talking point for years and was made famous in the 1971 Michael Caine film “Get Carter” and for some it was a sad day. The architect for the structure, Owen Luder, attended the D Day of the car park and stated that he hoped it would have survived and been renovated.
Councilor Mick Henry, leader of Gateshead Council, said he was sad to see it go but was also very excited for the future and what today means for Gateshead and its people.
Once the car park has been brought down it will take a few more weeks to clear the site and then hopefully work will start to build the long awaited £150m shopping centre and student village.
Life goes on as normal in Gateshead while the iconic car park is demolished
For now life in Gateshead goes about its normal business, but soon the local residents will start to see the difference with the skyline changing over the next few weeks and the light for surrounding business suddenly falling on them as never before.
A document produced by Gateshead Council, in collaboration with One North East, was created in June 2008 outlining the Vision 2030 projects “A New Centre for Gateshead.”
Two years on are the visions still realistic? Are there any signs of real progress? A walk along the High Street of Gateshead and a look back at the last few years reveal a mixture of unrealised plans, waiting games and some positive movements.
Let’s start our journey at the southern end of the High Street. A walk onto the High Street through the “Threshold” by Lulu Quinn brings to life the sounds of local people telling stories and singing songs, a sculpture funded by One North East and Matalan, who have a store nearby, through the Single Regeneration Budget. Erected in 2003 this was given the Civic Trust Award in 2004. While being a nice touch and a bit of a novelty, 7 years on it has now worn thin and one wonders if the money could have been better spent on real regeneration projects less than one hundred metres away.
Threshold by Lulu Quinn. Novelty worn thin?
The buildings along the southern end of the High Street are aging and grotty places and hardly give people a sense of pride of their town. Even more to the point, any visitors to Gateshead approaching from this end are given the first impression of a run down slum of a town.
In 2008 the old Bed Shed building became a part of the “Starter for 10” scheme championed by designer Wayne Hemmingway. This scheme allows creative businesses to move into units in the building free of charge to encourage artistic entrepreneurs to move into the area and thus create more business. The title of the scheme comes from the fact that there were 10 units available to start off with. In February 2010 the second phase of twenty more units became available and the search was on for new businesses to move in.
The start of Gateshead High Street with the old Bed Shed store on the left
A really good scheme yes, but unfortunately all of the design work seems to have taken place inside of the building and the exterior neglected. This has resulted in a building that, for all intents and purposes, still looks derelict. This was a prime opportunity to actually make a difference not just to local businesses but to the look of the first major building on the High Street. The problem with these kinds of schemes is that they must be realised as cheaply as possible and considering that the building will be up for demolition some time in the near future it is hardly surprising that little, if any, expense was spared on the exterior.
Moving north along the High Street you come across the old Moon and Sixpence public house. Remarkably this has a sign on the front of it advertising “Pub to Let – free of ties business opportunity”. This building is in such a poor condition, with the wooden mouldings rotten and falling off onto to the pavements, weeds and bushes growing in the gutters just below the roof and a resident population of pigeons that would be the envy of Lord Nelson.
The Moon and Sixpence. Available to let!
On the opposite corner to the Moon and Sixpence you come across an overgrown patch of land. This is where the old Odeon cinema stood. The once grand Art Deco building was brutally demolished in 2003 amidst concerns that the decision was rushed. Earlier in the same year developers Thornfield were given outline approval by Gateshead Council for the construction of homes and shops on the site. Seven years on and the only developments made on this site are the rapid growth of weeds and a feeding ground for the pigeons, who are fed by some staff of a nearby business every evening!
The plot of land where the Art Deco Odeon once stood
The adjoining structure that was left when the Odeon was demolished is now the Jet Amusement arcade. This is also a run down derelict building that has not seen any use since its neighbour’s demise. The state of this building has now got to be verging on dangerous. With the rotten signs looking like they could give way any moment and the mass of weeds and bushes growing out of the windows, walls and gutters weakening the structure further, a walk past its frontage could well turn into a visit to the hospital for somebody unlucky enough to be hit by anything falling.
The derelict Jet Amusement arcade with its rotting exterior could be a threat to people passing by
Just a little further down the road we come across yet another building that has its own built in garden growing from the windows, walls and guttering. Adjacent to this is yet another overgrown plot of land, this where the old bookshop and army surplus outdoor centre once stood.
A familiar scene along the western side of Gateshead High Street.
Recently the last two businesses on this stretch before you get to Curleys public house have been closed down. There was much sadness when Laws Herbalists closed their doors for the last time. They had been serving the community for decades and were well known for their fresh Sarsaparilla that could be bought to drink straight away or in concentrated form that could be made at home. As for Curleys, this pub opens and shuts down again more times than there have been dates quoted for the demolition of the infamous “Get Carter” car park.
Up for demolition, but when? The skyline in the background is dominated by the "Get Carter" car park
All of the above are in a short stretch of the western side of the southern end of the high Street, The eastern side of the same stretch has been spared the demolition process, on the same scale, so far but are not in much better shape. The businesses along this side mainly comprise of takeaways, gambling venues and public houses. There is a charity shop, a sandwich shop and a post office amongst these.
In 2007 movie makers chose to use this stretch of the high street to depict run down areas in the film The Tournament. Maybe there will now be calls to preserve the area as it is just as we have seen with the ill fated “Get Carter” car park campaign.
Efforts by some businesses on the eastern side of the street have been made to improve the look of the shop frontages but the upper levels remain in dire need of some improvements. The problem, along this stretch, is the proliferation of small takeaway businesses that crop up and disappear just as fast means that nobody ever wants to invest long term in building work.
he eastern side of Gateshead High Street where some effort is made by local businesses
As the saying goes “First impressions last” and this end of Gateshead High Street certainly gives the wrong impression.
The middle section of the high street improves somewhat with more in the way of traditional shops although, even here, there are some premises that have closed down over the years, such as Woolworth & Co and Kwiksave, and are not being used at the moment.
We arrive on the last part of our journey at the northern end of the high street where the infamous “Get Carter” car park stands. Trinity square and its car park have been in the headlines for many years now and the promises of something better have been coming from the council for just as long.
The "Get Carter" car park at the northern end of Gateshead High Street will soon be assigned to history as demolition is set to continue on 26th July 2010
Between Gateshead Council, Tesco and Spenhill there have been delays and disagreements that have meant the eyesore that dominates the Gateshead skyline is still standing. Most of the surrounding buildings had been demolished in 2009 and then everything ground to a halt due to Tesco not submitting plans for the redevelopment. This has been attributed to the recession taking its toll and Tesco’s reluctance to move ahead in such a climate.
Well today saw the start of the “demolition proper” of the car park. At 11:44am today, 26th July 2010, the first chunk of car park was bitten off by the massive specialist machines Thompsons of Prudhoe are using to finally free Gateshead of its past and signals what should be the beginning of the realisation of the Council’s 2030 vision.
The first chunk of the car park is removed by the demolition company Thompsons of Prudhoe. Signaling a brighter future for the town of Gateshead?
One of the mighty breaking machines being used by the demoltion company Thompsons of Prudhoe. Water is being sprayed to reduce the dust levels as the car park is finally demolished.
Speaking to locals who were present to see the start of the demolition process most have said they are pleased to see the back of Trinity Square and the car park and look forward to a new town centre, but they have their reservations on time scales and believe the council should start delivering on their promises in a more timely manner.
Only time will tell if Gateshead gets what it deserves in the timely manner people are hoping for, however with the recession still biting hard and all of the cut backs facing local government the feeling is it will be a very long time before the local population sees any improvement to the southern end of the high street.
A Video put together by Paula Geraghty, a freelance photojournalist and videographer, showing the Photographer’s Flash Mob at London’s New Scotland Yard on the 4th of July 2010 to mark the European Court of Human Rights decision to uphold its ruling, made back in January, that Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 is in breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.