Hands Across the Tyne

Many thanks to Oswald 'Ozzy' Denis (aged 93) for giving up his time to be interviewed by young people about his father, also Oswald Denis, who survived WW1.

We had an event at YMCA North Tyneside to celebrate the end of the project.
The artwork and photographs were displayed, alongside the showcase of the project animation.
The children and people involved in the project talked about what they had done with Hands Across the Tyne.
A great way to round off the project!

Some of the children got to experience sailing the boat 😃

Today Whitehouse Primary, Jarrow School and St Paul’s Youth Club went on a boat trip down the River Tyne to learn some interesting facts about all the different locations down the River - from Newcastle Quayside to Tynemouth Pier. We past Jarrow and Howdon and saw them from the view of the river - right in the middle of the two communities.

What an amazing day to have a trip down the River Tyne 🌞🌞🌞🌞

Today Whitehouse Primary, Jarrow School and St Paul’s Youth Club went on a boat trip down the River Tyne to learn some interesting facts about all the different locations down the River - from Newcastle Quayside to Tynemouth Pier. We past Jarrow and Howdon and saw them from the view of the river - right in the middle of the two communities.

Finished canvases by Jarrow School

Final animation workshop at Churchill with Roots and Wings. The group are making drawing on acetate to make into GIFS for the animation and doing some stop animation with some words from the stories.

“During school holidays, Skipper Cambell used to let us get on the ferry and take a packed lunch, a sandwich and maybe a bottle of water. He used to let us stay on, we used to go from Hebburn, across to Howden, then up to walker and back to Hebburn. We used to try and do that triangle all day until it was time for the ship yards to come out, he used to throw us off because it was time to pick the workmen up. For 1 penny, we used to stay on all day.”

“There was a soldier that had deserted from the army and he jumped over board. He was a soldier in the First World War and the police were after him. They chased him onto the ferry and he jumped over board so the police couldn’t get him and he drowned.”

“It was in the 60’s and my wife worked in a little shop in Jarrow and we were booking a holiday. For some unknown reason at the time you had to have your passport to book this particular holiday and my wife didn’t have her passport, so she rang her mum up at home in Whitley Bay and said, “You need to bring my passport, and I will meet you at the North end of the pedestrian tunnel.”
So, my wife came through the pedestrian tunnel, up the escalator, met her mother at the top and the passport was handed over. But there was a little office there were the old guy who ran the lift used to sit and he had a uniform on and everything. When he saw the passport being passed over, he opened the door and said, “EEEE PET! YOU DIVVENT NEED A PASSPORT TO GAN THROUGH TO JARRA YI NAH!”

“The young people from the North side of the river would come through the tunnel to the South side and get the bus down to South Shields where there was a big fairground. Sunday night was the big night for all of the teenagers to meet. The girls got to know all of the boys and vice verca. On a Friday night the people from the South side used to come over to the North side because there used to be a roller skating rink and an ice rink, and again, the girls and boys used to get together. Often you had boyfriends and girlfriends that you wouldn’t have had if the tunnel wasn’t built.”