Nick Brown Minister for the North East, says thank you to local residents helping the arts in the region
A select number of residents from across the North East have been identified as “Cultural Champions”. On Friday 29 January 2010, they attended a celebratory reception at Seven Stories, Newcastle Upon Tyne, where Nick Brown, Minister for North East and MP for Newcastle East and Wallsend publically acknowledge and thanked them for their outstanding cultural support.
The arts cannot survive without the support of thousands of people who are generously giving their time, expertise and money to make culture thrive in the North East. Today we celebrate all those individuals who have given dedicated support to their local arts scene. Arts organisations both big and small from across the North East have stepped forward to recognise these crucial individuals.
Support can come in many forms from giving time, offering business acumen, donating funds or even re-potting plants.
Elizabeth Bartlett and Janet Hall have put in more than 500 hours as volunteers at Preston Hall Museum, Stockton. Their work includes everything from assisting in teaching “Victorian School Day” and Wash Day” workshops for local school children to demonstrating how to make an African Bag Garden. They have re-potted plants in the Winter Garden, written interpretation panels and family trails as well as looking after 120 people on “family fun days”.
In Newcastle, Lindy McKinnel is passionate about children’s literature. She helped set up Seven Stories, a museum of children’s literature with a gift of £100,000. Her partner was the respected children’s author Robert Westall and she donated his archive to the museum as well as funding an exhibition of his work in 2006.
From its inception Janet Wilson has been an outstanding advocate and loyal friend of Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art. She has provided accommodation to stranded artists and is a great supporter of all BALTIC’s events and exhibitions.
Pam Clarke first visited the Theatre Royal Newcastle in 1964 to see Peter Pan. She has served on the Friends of the Theatre Royal Committee for 20 years and is currently organising a major concert to raise funds for the Theatre’s restoration project.
Dame Margaret Barbour is a leading figure in the North East business world, and a great supporter of the Theatre Royal Newcastle as well as a frequent visitor to Theatre Royal shows and events. She was a major donor to the Theatre’s new Learning Centre. The Learning Centre has reached over 20,000 people in the past year, and its work focuses on children from less prosperous backgrounds who have never been to a Theatre before.
Live Theatre, Newcastle has been helped immensely by Cultural Champions James Ramsbotham and Alexander Dickinson. They have provided substantial support for a scheme that encourages 9/10 year olds in the poorest wards of the city to start writing as well as donating £50,000 for capital development.
Pat Holmes was a founder member of the Friends of the Empire Theatre in Consett in 1978 and has provided consistent support to this beautiful old theatre and cinema, raising thousands of pounds to fund equipment and other improvement as well as organising special concerts and events.
Tim Bailey a practising architect has helped Northern Architecture immeasurably from leading architectural tours for the public to developing projects and offering financial support.
Across the region the arts have had immense support from individuals from all walks of life and at all levels. From vast capital donations to stuffing envelopes, the arts organisations of the North East are richer, and more successful for the contributions made by local residents.
Benefiting from Cultural Champions today...
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle; Seven Stories, Newcastle; Hexham Book Festival; Northern Stage;The Castle Players; Northern Roots; Theatre Royal, Newcastle; Lamplight Arts Centre, Stanley; Discovery Museum, Newcastle; Empire Theatre, Consett; New Writing North; Dodgy Clutch Theatre, Newcastle; Live Theatre, Newcastle; Northern Architecture, Pakistan Cultural Society; Preston Hall Museum and Park, Stockton on Tees; and Tyneside Cinema
