Did you know that each year Ryton Music Festival awards a bursary to a young instrumentalist or singer to attend the European Youth Summer School? All you need to do is enter and perform at […]
Category: Time out
Getting on
Heather is very disillusioned with Newcastle United at the moment, so we have transferred our affections to Newcastle Thunder, the rugby league outfit who share their home at Kingston Park with Newcastle Falcons. I say […]
Whatever happened to… Sleeping Beauty?
I’ve been on the committee of Ryton Festival for a couple of years now, and I’ve heard my friends Liz and Trevor Peart mention being committed elsewhere for the first week of the Festivals, namely, […]
The Hawk Walk with Hector – a great Christmas gift
I’m a fan of all of Ken Loach’s films, including the most recent I Daniel Craig. For me however, his best will always be Kes, the 1969 film based on the novel by Barry Hines. […]
Bollywood comes to Ryton!
Ryton Community Library, in conjunction with GemArts, held the second of two summer holiday events this afternoon. Last month you could come along and have a bash (quite literally) at African Drumming. Today it was […]
Busy Bee Busy Bee
An over reliance on “screen” entertainment can leave youngsters unchallenged, so Wyevale Nurseries have come up with the idea of Busy Bee Week. Held over the half term holiday, parents and children can enjoy gardening, […]
Let’s Tri-It then! Tri-It Gym and Fitness Centre, Ryton
“I think,” said my best friend Irene during an early morning shift thirty years ago, “that we should join a gym.” “What do you mean, we?” “Well you and I, it would be nice to […]
Concert at Holy Cross Church
Whatever your religion, or if you don’t have one at all, we are all privileged to be able to enjoy the beautiful building and grounds of Ryton Holy Cross Church. Have a walk around the […]
Ryton Festival Eleventh Session
St. Anne’s RC Church in Winlaton was the venue for the eleventh session of Ryton Festival this afternoon. We heard from the choirs of Corbridge Middle School (Junior and Senior) Hareside Primary School Cramlington, and […]
More from Ryton Festival, Tenth Session
The tenth session of Ryton Festival in Emmaville Hall was opened last night (Thursday) by its Vice – President Mrs Doris Williams. The Federation of Festivals is a national movement, but Mrs Williams said that […]
Ryton Festival – Ninth Session
Let’s hear what the adjudicator; Norma Redfearn, has to say about our festival, and the festival movement in general. She was kind enough to give me a written quote. “I have had a wonderful time […]
Ryton Festival – Sixth Session
Yesterday evening gave us the sixth session of the Ryton Festival in Emmaville Hall. Proceedings were opened by Jonathan Morris, the Executive Principal of Thorp Academy, and the entrants came from The Saturday Stage School, […]
Sleeping Dogs rock the Cluny
Our friend Tracey, Heather and I, enjoyed a marvellous sell out gig last night at the Cluny in Ouseburn, roughly situated beneath Byker Bridge. Tracey has been here several times before, but it was a […]
Ryton Festival Third Session
I’m not a parent myself, but I have seven nieces and nephews all under the age of fourteen, and the one thing I thoroughly ‘get’ is that once you have children there is no […]
Second Session, Ryton Festival
Unfortunately I won’t be able to get to all of the sessions at the Ryton Festival, but I thoroughly enjoyed the second session in Emmaville Hall this evening. It was opened by its president, Canon […]
Ryton Festival is nearly here
There’s a lot coming up in and around Ryton. The festival begins on Friday kicking off at 6.15pm in Emmaville Hall, Crawcrook. They have a new-look website, click on the link to see what’s […]
From the Live to the Little (Gateshead Little Theatre)
A local dramatic group not so far covered in this blog are the Progressive Players. They’re an amateur company founded in 1920 at the Westfield Hall in Alexandra Road, Gateshead. Since 1939 their permanent home […]
Ryton Festival – Baby Boomers
My former English teacher Richard Reid kindly suggested I get in touch with Susan Emmett who lives in Ryton and runs the Throckley Drama Group. They are going to be performing Baby Boomers Behaving Badly, […]
Beamish Hall Winter Festival 2016
I don’t envy Mark Zuckerberg his millions, because it’s down to him that I’ve re-kindled many friendships and enjoyed some fantastic times. Yesterday was a case in point, because without Facebook Heather and I would […]
Sleeping Dogs – upcoming gig
During my stint at Ryton Community Library last week, I got chatting to fellow volunteer Lin, who mentioned an upcoming gig at The Cluny in Byker on Saturday 27th February. It’s in aid of the […]
Bradley Gardens
I wrote last week about meeting Kalem (Patterson) to interview him about the play he’s starring in at the Live Theatre, Day of the Flymo. We arranged to meet up at Bradley Gardens (off Sled […]
Kalem Patterson, another day for Flymo
Walking through the Haymarket Metro Station yesterday my attention was drawn to an illuminated poster advertising Day of the Flymo, about to begin its second run at the Live Theatre, Newcastle. The lead role in […]
Irene goes zip!
On Saturday afternoon Heather and I headed off down to the Quayside to watch my best friend Irene do her zip wire jump. Quite how she got into this, or was persuaded to do it, […]
Many a tear has to fall ……..
I have always believed in this simple concept. If you’re feeling lonely, or a relationship has just ended, you will never get anywhere if you sit moping in the house. Ten years ago this weekend […]
