It’s the people as well as the buildings
I have lived in North Shields for about 15 years. I moved here with my partner, and we lived near the park and then we bought a house and lived there for 10 years near the cemetery and then moved to Cleveland Road about 4 years ago. I’m from Alnwick and I absolutely love being near the coast. I loved North Shields and just felt like it would be a good place to live and start a family.
Ellie in Bedford Street © Helen Plater
My favourite place is Bedford Street in the centre of North Shields. It’s recently going through a fair amount of transformation which I hope doesn’t take the heart out of the street. It’s not only the buildings that are there but the people. It’s ever changing, lots of different walks of society can be found on that street and that’s brilliant and that’s what makes North Shields North Shields. It’s the people as well as the buildings and I think Bedford Street is a real testament to those individuals that live there.
I think the shops are great in the sense that there’s something for everyone. There’s some wonderful charity shops, there’s Barry’s Fruit and Veg shop which is amazing. You’ve got the chains there as well. I think they all sit really nicely alongside each other and make it a great shopping experience to go down for both the shops and the people that you meet.
I would hope that the regeneration in terms of the new developments and the upgrade of the high street and other great things that are happening, that the local people of Shields that have been here for a long time aren’t forgotten and that they are taken on that journey as well and that they are represented in any kind of work or activity that happens.
There’s all walks of life, lots of different generations. You’ll walk down the street and it’s babies right through to older people from different classes in life and I think that’s all represented in Shields as well. There’s a real mix of people working and living in Shields and I hope that that remains with the gentrification that is coming, that there is a space for everybody and that it’s not just that it pushes people out who can currently afford to live here and bring that richness and diversity. If it becomes too expensive to shop or to live, I think that would be my concern. So, my hope would be that that doesn’t happen and that those people stay.
I would like my family to stay in North Shields. I think it’s a fantastic place to bring up children and I think it brings everything that you need. There’s more art, there’s culture, there’s places to eat and drink and shop and my hope would be that my family stays here for a long time and enjoys living in North Shields.
Ellie was interviewed as part of the North Shields 800 Voices project.