How Blyth got a boost from embracing culture
Blyth Celebrates... again
Blyth Celebrates, the programme of events, festivals, performances and cultural activities that was part of a wider regeneration initiative called Energising Blyth, attracted a total audience of some 90,000 during its inaugural year.
Funded by Northumberland County Council, it also helped to establish the town as one of the county’s emerging cultural destinations, according to those who monitor these things.
No wonder it’s coming back.
A new programme of “free and affordable events, performances, exhibitions and creative experiences” has been announced, running from this month until March next year.
On August 22, at Blyth’s new Market Pavilion, Newcastle-based Moving Parts Arts will lead a series of Whirling Windmill Workshops, inviting people to design a colourful spinning windmill to take home.
Moving Parts Arts, experts in puppetry and creative construction, initiated the popular Newcastle Puppetry Festival.
Their fun attraction in Blyth is a nod, perhaps, to the likes of wind turbine specialist ORE Catapult which is helping the town gain a reputation in the field of renewable energy.
Returning in September, “by popular demand”, is Alnwick-based Novo Theatre’s Salt & Smoke: Stories of Blyth which takes its audience on an adventure round the town centre.
There (as I can vouch, having followed the trail last year) you will meet some of Blyth’s notable figures from the past and learn something of the town’s long and colourful history.
Performances, beginning and ending at the Market Pavilion, take place over two long weekends – September 18 to 20 and 25 to 27 at various times – and tickets are on sale now.
From September 15 to 20 you can see an exhibition in the Market Pavilion called Blyth Lifeboat 200: Our Town, Our Story, part of the bicentenary celebration of the presence of lifesaving in the town.
Presented by Blyth RNLI with Fresh Creative Aspirations CIC, it’s a community exhibition of film, photography and stories.
Coinciding with it, on September 17, is Blyth Lifeboat 200: Schools Day, encouraging local schoolchildren to celebrate Blyth’s lifeboat heritage.
A change of tack will see Melanie Fox at Blyth Pavilion on September 30 (and again on October 7 and 14) leading her Reclaim/Remake/Reveal workshops, showing how to spruce up unwanted garments by turning them into “unique wearable artworks”.
Aimed at a younger audience will be the Play, Discover & Grow sessions throughout October led by Cherry and Bee.
They’re described as creative play sessions for babies, toddlers, pre-school children and their grown-ups whereby “themes of community, celebration and belonging together” will be explored through storytelling, sensory play, music, movement, puppetry and hands-on making.
Three sessions in November under the heading Blyth Campus Comedy, presented by Little Robot CIC, will explore the finer points of stand-up, leading to a live showcase on November 26.
On November 14, Newcastle-based Unfolding Theatre will give two performances of their hit play Best in the World, with Alex Elliot reprising his role recalling the achievements of darts champ Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor.
Halloween and Christmas will not go unacknowledged and the programme will culminate in the Blyth Festival of Film (details to be announced) next March.
Councillor Wendy Pattison, cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism at Northumberland County Council, said: “Blyth Celebrates has become one of Blyth’s great success stories and we’re proud to fund it.”
Last year, she added, it had supported local businesses, brought communities together and helped showcase the town as an exciting destination for culture and creativity.
“The programme returning this year demonstrates the growing ambition of Blyth’s cultural offer,” she went on.
“From major community celebrations and immersive theatre to family activities, film and heritage events, there is something for everyone to enjoy.”
You can explore the full programme on the Blyth Creates website.