Our Blog

North Shields 800 Parade ArticlesFocus On

North Shields 800 Parade

On Friday night, 12th December 2025, a sparkling parade took place to mark the end…

Ron Hillaby15th December 2025

North Shields Voices ArticlesNews

North Shields Voices

We are currently holding an exhibition in the Beacon Centre, North Shields.  This is one…

Ron Hillaby3rd December 2025

A Run Back in Time Focus On

A Run Back in Time

With just days to go, thousands of people from the region and many from further…

Ron Hillaby4th September 2025

Newcastle United Carabao Cup Winners ArticlesFocus On

Newcastle United Carabao Cup Winners

Congratulations to Newcastle United for a richly deserved victory in the 2025 Carabao Cup Final…

Ron Hillaby21st March 2025

Women in Shipbuilding Focus OnNews

Women in Shipbuilding

We are delighted to now be able to bring to you the results of our…

Ron Hillaby15th February 2025

North Shields 800 Focus OnNews

North Shields 800

Four of our volunteers attended the North Shields 800 Launch event on 31st January at…

Ron Hillaby2nd February 2025

Women in Shipbuilding Focus OnNews

Women in Shipbuilding

We have recently completed a project looking at the vital role women played in shipbuilding…

Ron Hillaby1st November 2024

Bishopwearmouth Townscape Focus On

Bishopwearmouth Townscape

In 2018, Sunderland City Council received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a…

Ron Hillaby30th September 2024

Memories of Forest Hall Focus On

Memories of Forest Hall

We were recently contacted by Anne Leathem who had many memories of growing up in…

Ron Hillaby1st June 2024

150 Years of service for the visually impaired Focus OnNews

150 Years of service for the visually impaired

The Pearey House Centre in Preston Park, North Shields, opened in 1950, but has its…

Ron Hillaby19th May 2024

Time to celebrate Focus OnNews

Time to celebrate

Last week saw the completion of our “Herring Girls” project with an event to launch…

Ron Hillaby8th May 2024

Loss of the Gaul 50 years anniversary ArticlesFocus On

Loss of the Gaul 50 years anniversary

How often, when we sit down to enjoy a plate of fish and chips, do…

Ron Hillaby9th February 2024

North Shields Heritage Action Zone Focus OnNews

North Shields Heritage Action Zone

The North Shields High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) project has delivered a four-year programme…

Ron Hillaby9th January 2024

Women in Shipbuilding Focus OnNews

Women in Shipbuilding

Remembering the Past is delighted to be embarking on a new project this week, in…

Annette Chatman26th October 2023

The Herring Girl Statue Unveiled Focus OnNews

The Herring Girl Statue Unveiled

On Friday afternoon (22nd September) The statue of "The Herring Girl", created by local sculptor…

Ron Hillaby25th September 2023

Coronations Focus OnNews

Coronations

We hope you have all had a great weekend and many have been able to…

Ron Hillaby8th May 2023

Memories of Good Friday Marching Focus On

Memories of Good Friday Marching

The tradition of Good Friday Marching was a huge event in North Shields for many…

Ron Hillaby11th July 2022

A New School Year Focus On

A New School Year

So, September is here already and with that thoughts for many will turn to school: going back,…

Kath Smith9th September 2021

Thanks for the memories Focus OnNews

Thanks for the memories

T he team here at Remembering the Past is proud and delighted to have been…

Kath Smith2nd June 2021

A Message to Our Volunteers Focus On

A Message to Our Volunteers

As this is Volunteers' Week we would like to take this opportunity to say a…

Ron Hillaby31st May 2021

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside ! Focus On

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside !

Jeanette writes:  In 2012 a group of local residents shared their childhood memories for our A Day…

Kath Smith14th April 2021

Thanks for coming to our Easter presentation Focus OnPresentations

Thanks for coming to our Easter presentation

The Remembering the Past team would like to thank everyone who came to our virtual…

Kath Smith8th April 2021

Remembering a Great Friend ArticlesFocus On

Remembering a Great Friend

  Today, as we all pause to reflect on the past year and remember those…

Kath Smith23rd March 2021

Congratulations and Thanks to our Digital Heritage Heroes Presentations

Congratulations and Thanks to our Digital Heritage Heroes

Last Thursday fifty one Digital Heritage Heroes joined us in the virtual world as we…

Kath Smith20th March 2021

Remembering Carlin Sunday Focus On

Remembering Carlin Sunday

In 2016 we were involved in a wonderful project exploring Easter traditions.  We worked alongside…

Kath Smith19th March 2021

International Women’s Day Focus On

International Women’s Day

  Today is International Women’s Day (8th March) and this month is Women’s History month. These…

Kath Smith8th March 2021

‘Bringing Back the Banner’ presentation Focus OnPresentations

‘Bringing Back the Banner’ presentation

Thanks to everyone who came along yesterday (virtually) to see our presentation (now on YouTube)…

Kath Smith5th March 2021

World Book Day 4th March 2021 – take a break and read a book! Focus On

World Book Day 4th March 2021 – take a break and read a book!

Books may have more competition these days but they have helped many through Lockdown. Of…

Kath Smith4th March 2021

Cooking up Memories Focus On

Cooking up Memories

Do you ever find yourself having a tidy up then finding something you've forgotten about…

Kath Smith25th February 2021

Openwater Swimming? It’s nothing new Focus On

Openwater Swimming? It’s nothing new

Kath writes: Swimming in open water is in the news at the moment while our…

Kath Smith22nd February 2021

Was it Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day in your house? Focus On

Was it Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day in your house?

16th February 2021 is Shrove Tuesday, also well known as pancake day. We don’t have any memories of…

Kath Smith15th February 2021

Happy Valentine’s Day Focus On

Happy Valentine’s Day

St Valentine’s Day, 14th February is a date that goes back at least to the Middle…

Kath Smith13th February 2021

Ernest Storey remembers SS Uganda 1983 Articles

Ernest Storey remembers SS Uganda 1983

The team has been having a new year sort out and we came across these…

Kath Smith21st January 2021

Volunteer Selection: Memories of New Year Past Focus On

Volunteer Selection: Memories of New Year Past

Volunteer Toni picks out some memories from the collection that fit the time of year: …

Kath Smith30th December 2020

Christmas Past with the Library Club Members Focus On

Christmas Past with the Library Club Members

Kath writes: Remembering the Past was originally set up by North Shields Library Club and…

Kath Smith23rd December 2020

Focus on: Christmas Presents Focus On

Focus on: Christmas Presents

"When I think of Christmas, I always think of my Great Aunt May, she was…

Kath Smith16th December 2020

Memories of Whitley Bay Carnival 2014 – 2019 Articles

Memories of Whitley Bay Carnival 2014 – 2019

We thought you might like to see some of the images of the revived Whitley…

Kath Smith15th December 2020

Do you remember Marconigrams? Focus On

Do you remember Marconigrams?

    The family of one of our early contributors, John McParland, has sent us…

Kath Smith10th December 2020

Some thoughts on ‘Heavy Weather’ Focus On

Some thoughts on ‘Heavy Weather’

HIGH SPRING TIDES CREATE HIGH WAVES OVER NORTH PIER TYNEMOUTH 2017 Kath Smith writes: Today…

Kath Smith17th November 2020

Don’t forget the wonderful summer we had in 2020!  ArticlesFocus On

Don’t forget the wonderful summer we had in 2020! 

Sing along with the Butlins Boys Kath Smith writes:  One of the highlights of Remembering…

Kath Smith10th November 2020

Impacts of a Global Pandemic Articles

Impacts of a Global Pandemic

I have a calendar on my desk that is frozen on the date 23 March…

robgibbons6th November 2020

Do you know what ‘Boudey’ is? Focus On

Do you know what ‘Boudey’ is?

The ladies from Cullercoats Knit and Natter shared their knowledge about boudey at one of…

robgibbons4th May 2020

A reflection for VE Day: An Ex WAAF’s story Focus On

A reflection for VE Day: An Ex WAAF’s story

Kitty Brightwell was a plotter in the bunker at Uxbridge during the war. The bunker…

robgibbons4th May 2020

Hunter’s the Bakers Focus On

Hunter’s the Bakers

One of the highlights of the work on the Gannin Shoppin project was the public…

robgibbons11th August 2019

Little Bedford Street, North Shields Articles

Little Bedford Street, North Shields

Every now and then we see a photo that really makes you think how much…

robgibbons7th April 2019

What is a Coal Trimmer? Focus On

What is a Coal Trimmer?

Listen to this wonderful description of coal trimming which was collected during our ‘Pass it…

robgibbons7th April 2019

Empire Day Focus On

Empire Day

Empire Day, 1950Take a look at this image and see how many different countries you…

robgibbons7th April 2019

Harry Mercer, a long time friend of Remembering the Past Focus On

Harry Mercer, a long time friend of Remembering the Past

Volunteer interviews Harry Mercer, or is that Harry interviewing the interviewer?We’re lucky to have some…

robgibbons7th April 2019

Using handling books to collect and share memories Articles

Using handling books to collect and share memories

The Toon family reminiscing with a handling book as part of the ‘Bringing Back the…

robgibbons7th April 2019