Jo Bath
Oral History Archivist
Beamish Museum, Regional Resource Centre, Stanley, Co. Durham, DH9 0RG
Telno: 0191 370 4028
Email: jobath@beamish.org.uk

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Sheila Forster
Freelance oral historian
Co. Durham
Telno: 07986363219
Email: sheila.forster@ohs.org.uk

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Janette Hilton
Project Director
Living History (North East) Limited, The Regional Oral History Centre, The Old Donnison School, Church Walk, East End, Sunderland SR1 2BN
Telno: 0191 5654835
Email: janette.hilton@lhne.co.uk

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County Durham

The audio archive of Beamish Museum continues to grow, with the notable donations of the Billingham ICI interviews from the ‘Teesside Industrial Memories Project’ (see last year’s report), the ‘Easington Past and Present’ recordings (dating from Manpower Service Commission work in the late 1970s) and interviews associated with the 2004 development of ‘Locomotion’, the National Railway Museum at Shildon.
On site, the new lamp cabin exhibition space showcases audio of mining memories, with three sound cones – themed around ‘first experiences’, ‘lamps’ and ‘accidents’ – playing while visitors look at an array of lamps, safety equipment and other mining objects. The museum has also played a part in a set of complementary projects to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1984 miner’s strike, collectively called ‘Striking Times’. Oral history was used in a variety of ways by different groups within this – school children recorded ex-miners, members of the Mining Institute recorded each other, and other groups listened to oral history to gain inspiration for artworks. A travelling exhibition was made incorporating elements of these groups’ work.

Jo Bath

The County Durham History & Heritage Forum is a voluntary association of local history groups, heritage organisations and individuals. The Forum, which is in its early stages of development, aims to promote and facilitate member organisations in celebrating, researching and raising awareness of the history and heritage of the County. It hopes to host a range of training and networking opportunities for its members over the coming years. A recent oral history training session held at the Head of Steam, Darlington Railway Museum is an indication of the level of interest in the subject amongst the local community. More of these events will be hosted by the Forum in the future. See http://www.durhamweb.org.uk/historyforum/.

Sheila Forster

Tyne & Wear

Living History North East continues to operate from The Regional Oral History Centre, Sunderland across the North East region, offering guidance, advice, information, networks and training for oral history projects. A North East Regional Network meeting took place on 23 September 2009 at Beamish Resource Centre, and future meetings are being planned. Age Exchange training opportunities were offered through the North East Network, and the links between reminiscence and oral history were explored.
North Tyneside Council’s intergenerational project, ‘Memories of the Second World War’, in partnership with Living History (North East) and St Thomas More RC School, has produced a DVD and additional resources of regional memories of 1938 -1945. The DVD is aimed at primary schools and incorporates a collection of personal stories from both the home front and servicemen.
As part of a wider program of celebration of the history of North Ormsby, friends and volunteers of the Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Centre, has established the ‘150 Years in North Ormsby’ project. They have undertaken training to record local memories of a changing community. At the heart of this was the church and its role and development over the last century.
The Pakistan Cultural Society has received support from the Heritage Lottery Fund for its ‘Islamic Heritage Project’. The aim of the project is to collect stories and testimonies from various Islamic communities living in the North East of England and to present them to Tyne & Wear Archives for the social and educational benefit of the community. The project is also offering professional oral history training for community volunteers, who will work alongside an experienced team to gather stories and testimonies from Islamic communities living in the North East. Using interview techniques, volunteers will find out about all aspects of people’s lives and heritage including childhood, environment, work, lifestyle, family, traditions and culture. Further details: Hengameh Emami, Project Worker (Islamic Heritage), infopcs3@yahoo.co.uk.
RIVERSCAPE is a community engagement project and exhibition with the National Glass Centre, which worked with the community of Sunderland and local school children to develop an archive of collected memories, stories and ideas of those whose lives have been shaped by the River Wear. The project aimed to involve those who had worked in various industries such as coal, glass and shipbuilding. As well as aiming to preserve memories before they are forgotten and create an archive of local history, the project also aims to encourage the local community to look forward to what the future holds for the River Wear. Details from Alison Cleland, Creative Producer: Education & Audiences, www.nationalglasscentre.com.
Members of North East Labour History (NELH - http://www.nelh.org) are involved in various projects, including the mapping of workers' history in the region since the Second World War. NELH has a strong interest in recording the lives of people who contributed to the history of this region, with a strong commitment to oral history. NELH are keen to find and save personal effects and papers of relevance to North East history. The organisation publishes an annual journal, North East History and a series of Newsletters. A recent publication, Don't you hear the H-Bomb's Thunder?, by Merlin Press and the North East Labour History Society, is based largely on over 60 interviews conducted by John Charlton with participants in north east radical politics from 1955-1965. NELH have continued to interview local labour movement activists, and transcribe and publish in North East History.
‘Remembering the Past Resourcing the Future’, North Tyneside, have produced a ‘Memory Box’ collection for schools that includes a compilation of thirty four images, twenty one written memories, and a DVD with video and audio recollections. The collection has been produced by Learning Days and is curriculum-linked for teachers. The project has been funded by Northern Rock and the Heritage Lottery Fund. For more information, contact Kath Smith, krskms@bleyonder.co.uk.

Janette Hilton

North-East Oral History Network

Interest in recording oral history is still very much alive in the North East of England, as was evidenced by the number of people from all over the region who attended the North-East Oral History Network Event hosted by Beamish Open Air Museum in September 2009. The Network had gone through a quiet period but is now re-energised and bringing new and old members together to help and support each other.
Regional Networkers are frequently approached to give advice and guidance by people interested in applying for funding for their heritage projects, but there are increasingly more enquiries from students and post-graduates who either want to collect oral history or access existing collections in order to support their research. The topics covered by individuals in this region have included the role of women in the 1984 Miners’ Strike and recording the history of the South Shields Borough Police Force before its incorporation into the County Durham Constabulary.

Sheila Forster