MIMA the winner as Turner Prize opens in arty ‘Boro
David Whetstone reports back from a stroll among the contenders
Four artists, four contenders for the 2026 Turner Prize – that’s £25,000 plus your name on the roll of honour and an immeasurable boost to public profile.
So now that the wraps are off their showcase exhibitions, who is going to win?
Nobody I asked at Thursday’s media preview had the foggiest idea, although the bookies will have calculated the odds.
When Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art hosted Turner Prize 2011, they made Martin Boyce hot favourite and he won (yep, those streetwise souls with loud jackets must know something about art).
The judges might have made up their minds already.
They know what each artist is capable of, having shortlisted them on the basis of recent exhibitions of their work – but they were due at MIMA on Thursday afternoon (so I was told) to cast eyes and ears over these final flourishes.
Setting the stage for Gateshead Quays
Plans for a new open-air performance square, park and plaza on Gateshead Quays have been submitted, with a decision expected before Christmas.
The proposals form the first phase of a £24m programme of infrastructure and public realm improvements intended both to create new spaces for people to use and prepare the waterfront site for future development – including the long-discussed Gateshead Quays arena.
The planning application was validated on September 10 and Gateshead Council says work on the public spaces cannot begin until permission has been granted. Earthworks to prepare the wider site and create future development plots can, however, get under way beforehand.
At the heart of the plans is Performance Square, a new outdoor space designed to host events and performances as well as provide an everyday place to sit and spend time by the river. Read more
Infected blood scandal drama begins filming in the North East
Filming is under way in the North East on a major new ITV drama telling the story of the infected blood scandal.
There’s considerable pedigree behind Bad Blood, which pairs BAFTA-winning screenwriter Peter Moffat (Silk, Criminal Justice) with RTS award-winning director Julia Ford (Until I Kill You) and World Productions, the company behind Line of Duty, Malpractice and The Bombing of Pan Am 103.
The four-part series will explore how more than 30,000 people were given contaminated blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s, resulting in chronic illness and more than 3,000 deaths.
New Chair joins New Writing North at landmark moment
Sinead Rocks has been appointed Chair of Newcastle-based writing development charity New Writing North as it marks its 30th anniversary and prepares to open a new £10.5m centre in the city.
The former Channel 4 Managing Director, Nations and Regions, who becomes CEO of ScreenSkills in November, succeeds interim Chair Helen Dalby, editor-in-chief, Reach North East and Yorkshire, who stepped in following the unexpected death of previous Chair Neil Warwick OBE in December 2025.
The appointment comes as New Writing North develops its new public venue dedicated to writing, reading and publishing, due to be completed in 2028.
Rocks said: “I’m honoured to become Chair at such an important moment in New Writing North’s history. The new centre is an ambitious and timely investment in Newcastle, the North and the UK’s creative future.”
Katie flies the North East flag in songwriting final
Next week sees Tyneside singer songwriter Katie Grace fly the flag for the North East at one of the UK’s most prestigious songwriting competitions.
The 21-year-old indie-folk artist has made it into the final 10 of this year’s Song Academy Young Songwriter (aged 19-22) showcase.
Katie, a former Alan Hull Award winner, is returning to London’s Troubadour on Monday (September 28) — the scene of her sold-out headline show earlier this year.
“As always, I’m so proud to be representing the North East and my hometown of North Shields on the national stage,” she said.
“It’s a great opportunity to mix with a bunch of talented musicians all starting out in their careers.
“And I’m excited to get back to The Troubadour. It was amazing to sell out my first headline gig in London and it’ll always be a venue that’s special to me.” Read more
St Cuthbert’s Way makes Lonely Planet’s 2027 hotlist
A 62-mile walking route ending on Holy Island has been named among Lonely Planet’s top travel experiences for 2027.
St Cuthbert’s Way, which crosses the Scottish Borders and Northumberland before finishing with the causeway crossing to Lindisfarne, features in the travel guide’s annual Best in Travel list of 50 destinations and experiences worldwide.
It appears alongside Ireland’s Killary Fjord, France’s Route Napoléon and India’s Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
Andrew Fox, chair of Visit Northumberland, said the recognition would “shine a global spotlight” on the route and the county’s wider visitor offer.
“St Cuthbert’s Way perfectly captures the growing demand for more meaningful travel experiences. Whether visitors come to walk, reflect, explore our coast and countryside, discover our historic sites or simply slow down and reconnect with nature, Northumberland offers an unforgettable journey and a genuine sense of place,” he added.
A fashionable turn for Grainger Market
Newcastle’s Grainger Market will become a catwalk tomorrow (September 26) as the city takes part in the British Fashion Council’s new Fashion Britain programme.
The free Future Heritage fashion show, running from noon to 2pm, is being staged in collaboration with Newcastle College, the British Fashion Council, Eldon Square and Newcastle City Council.
It will showcase winning designs from an Eldon Square 50th-anniversary project which saw 80 Newcastle College students create fashion and textiles inspired by the city’s heritage.
Their work will be joined on the runway by a collection from award-winning Newcastle designer and Newcastle College alumnus Lamin Gibba, founder of streetwear label Jerry J Clothing.
North Shields team floats plans for major dance festival
The people behind King Street Social Club in North Shields are working on plans for a new three-day dance music festival in the North East.
Organisers say they have agreed terms on a site and received positive responses from the relevant authorities, with May 28-30 earmarked for the event.
The ambition is to combine an international outlook with a showcase for the region’s music scene, while widening who gets to participate in major festivals.
However, the event is not yet confirmed, with organisers spending the next seven weeks assessing whether it can be made financially viable without jeopardising their other projects. Keep an eye on their socials for updates.
Explorer turns his lens on hen harriers
A Northumberland photographer has landed a major award for his set of pictures documenting efforts to save a critically endangered bird species.
Polar explorer Conrad Dickinson from Hexham has won the Conservation Award in the 2026 Bird Photographer of the Year competition – the world’s largest bird photography contest – for a series of six photographs telling the story of the hen harrier, which is the UK’s most persecuted bird of prey.
The competition celebrates bird life from around the world, with over 24,000 entries this year.
Conrad’s portfolio, photographed in Cumbria and Northumberland under strict licence conditions, charts efforts to help the hen harrier, from monitoring young birds and fitting satellite tags to images depicting the birds in the wild and the continuing threats they face.
Writers invited to put North East infrastructure on stage
Alphabetti Theatre is looking for writers to create a new piece inspired by a Northumbria University research project exploring the stories behind the region’s transport infrastructure.
Life Stories of Infrastructure examines the A1 corridor, urban rail including the Tyne and Wear Metro, and Tyne ferries, looking at how they have affected people and communities over time.
The successful writer will receive a £3,644 commission to create a 30-minute piece for public performance in early 2027. Writers at any stage can apply, with applications from people currently underrepresented in theatre particularly welcomed.
Applications close at 5pm on October 19. More details here.
Beyond the outrage over Sycamore Gap
A new book examining the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree and the reaction which followed is available to pre-order ahead of publication on October 22.
Felled is by award-winning writer Andrew Hankinson, who attended every day of the trial and sentencing of Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, convicted of cutting down the Northumberland landmark in September 2023.
The book explores who the two men are and why they targeted the tree, while also looking at the grief, anger and worldwide media attention its destruction prompted.
Young voices become part of Berwick landscape
The words of Berwick schoolchildren have been turned into a new permanent artwork in one of the town’s historic parks.
Offerings, by Berwick-based artist Anna Chapman Parker, has been installed beside the Lily Pond in Castle Vale Park, just below Berwick Railway Station.
The nine-metre-wide work is made from a series of Corten steel panels featuring four lines of laser-cut text alongside small, abstract plant-like motifs. The words come from Prior Park Primary pupils, who were asked to record their experiences of the park through its scents, sounds and textures.
Heritage comes up roses
Tanfield Railway was named Best in Class in the Bus, Metro and Railway Station section of Northumbria in Bloom.
Judges praised Tanfield, running between Sunniside station in Gateshead and East Tanfield station in County Durham, for its volunteer community spirit, collaboration with local schools and community organisations, and its skill in blending vibrant floral displays with the railway’s 1920s–1950s heritage theme.
The accolade caps off an extraordinary year for the world’s oldest railway, which recently secured both Railway of the Year and Young Volunteer of the Year at the Heritage Railway Association awards.
Angela Pickering, Tanfield Railway Trust secretary, said: “We were over the moon to win. There is so much work that goes into maintaining the railway, and this is a credit to everyone involved. Countless hours go into making our stations look great, and we owe a special thanks to all of the groups who have helped us.” Read more
Northumberland’s crayfish comeback
Visitors to Northumberland Zoo might be familiar with the rather oversized crayfish which has taken up residence there.
But behind the sculpture is a conservation story involving hundreds of its considerably smaller, living counterparts.
After more than 1,500 hours of specialist care, 348 white-clawed crayfish have been freed into protected Northumberland “ark sites”, marking the completion of the first stage of a major conservation project to help safeguard one of Britain’s most threatened native freshwater species. Read more