Photography: Luke Waddington
Cambois Hidden Depths
September 2024, Cambois and North Blyth
Cambois Hidden Depths was a community-led arts and heritage project that explored Cambois’ often overlooked heritage. The eight-month project culminated in a free celebration event on the 27th and 28th September 2024 that brought the past to life in unexpected places.
It was delivered in partnership by Novo Theatre (a performing arts organisation), The Tute (a former miners’ welfare now a community hub for creative work in Cambois) and producer, Sarah Hudson; working with professional artists, historians, archaeologists and the Cambois community.
At its core was a shared ambition to celebrate the heritage of the area and a desire to shine a light on an area of Northumberland that is isolated and for many years has lacked investment.
Community engagement programme
To provide multiple opportunities for the community to get involved, a series of ‘micro projects’ were established. They were all offered free of charge to avoid any economic barrier to participation and included local history talks, archaeological digs, creative writing, visual arts and photography workshops, dance/movement sessions and a medieval tile making workshop at Cambois Fair. Local residents were also encouraged to submit photos for a digital exhibition and create paper miners’ lamps to display in their windows during the celebration event.
The community engagement programme resulted in 438 engagements and 271 direct participants in the project.
Celebration weekend
The celebration event showcased all of the participation outputs at locations around Cambois and North Blyth. The programme included:
St Andrew’s Church presented a digital photography exhibition. Images were submitted by members of the public and featured the people and places of Cambois. The church also hosted a Heritage Fair and a talk by local photographer Simon Williams.
Youthful Spirit Projections - a large-scale outdoor projection onto the side of a house. Young people from Cambois Primary School creatively explored Cambois’ past. A thrilling archaeological dig led by Barry Mead uncovered items that sparked the children’s imagination and curiosity. This was followed by writing workshops with Hilary Elder to explore characters from Cambois’ past. Finally, the children participated in art workshops with illustrator Trina Dalziel to produce two-foot high representations of these ‘yesterday’ characters and to dress up as them. The day ended with a photoshoot of the children’s work with photography artist Christo Wallers.
A dance performance, "The Heave," explored the role of Cambois women in launching lifeboats, inspired by historic photographs and produced by Meerkat Films. On the evening there were live dance performances accompanied by a projected film onto the side of The Tute. The Tute’s Dance Group produced a creative exploration of the amazing resilience of the women who launched the lifesaving vessels. Audiences stood on the dunes for the best vantage and enjoyed live performance by dance artist Skye Reynolds, alongside the brand new film and music.
Cambois Social Club screened "Cambois Echoes of the Past," a community film made by Trevor Hearing in 2007 and also hosted a Q&A. The short film is available to watch on YouTube
Roaring Voices - an immersive audio and theatre experience brought to life seven monologues written by The Tute’s Creative Writing Group. They were performed by professional actors in two very different locations. At The Tute, Christopher Connel brought four characters from Cambois’ history to life. And standing on Worsdell Street audiences wore headphones and peered through a window as Lucy Elizabeth Davis performes three touching tales. Throughout the Cambois Hidden Depths event, at various locations, audiences also heard a played recording of ‘Cambois Incantation’ conjouring the tales of our past - a poem collectively written by the writing group and generously recorded for the event by Jill Halfpenny.
Cambois Camera Club showcased 30 new images captured over the summer, reflecting the local area.
This resulted in a live audience of 1,071 people over the two days - a large audience for the area particularly as this was the first outdoor event of its kind in Cambois.
What people said about Cambois Hidden Depths
“It was excellent. I felt emotional from the moment I arrived - beginning with the sense of pride in the stewards/participants etc. The production was high quality and felt like it honoured the area and its people. I drove back to my home half an hour down the coast with a very heightened awareness of my heritage, the stories and history I'm connected to, and felt unexpectedly proud of it and affectionate of it.”
Audience Member
Faces and Places of Cambois @ St Andrew’s Church
“Such memories good and bad, so many lovely people no longer with us, but no-one can take our memories away, only time, but only if we let it, thanks Simon, for the chance, to remember!”
Audience Member
Cambois 2024 @ Cambois Camera Club
“This club is a little gem. There's loads of talent here and there's loads of possibilities. We're always open to new members for anyone interested in joining us.”
Linda Lynch, Secretary, Cambois Camera Club
Echoes of the Past @ Cambois Club
“It was fantastic overhearing conversations visitors were having, both about their own memories and connections, and about what they were seeing.”
Production team member
Youthful Spirit Projections @ Unity Terrace
”I was blown away on how many different categories of art in this exhibition. Excellent all-round.”
Audience Member
The Heave
”I never thought my first time in Cambois would be for an arts festival but I was really impressed with the ambition and the production value. The show piece was definitely The Heave. The way the building was incorporated with the dancer in the central window was very effective. All in all, I will remember with my cool evening of Cambois Culture for a long time. When is the next one?”
Audience Member
Credits and Thanks
Production:
Senior Producer and Project Manager - Sarah Hudson
Production support from The Tute - Esther Huss, Alex Oates
Production support from November Club - Joe Hufton, Andrea Perrett, Louise Taylor-Asheg, Kathryn Row, Becky Madeley
Assistant Producer - JoJo Kirtley
Production Manager, Culture Creative - Demelza Triffit, Karl Goodwin
Costume designer - Naomi Daley
Sound and music designer - Jeremy Bradfield
School engagements - Christo Wallers, Trina Dalziel, Hilary Elder, Barry Mead, Bob Jackson
Technical support - Ingram AV
PR - Jane Imrie
Event Photography - Luke Waddington
Production:
The Heave:
Facilitator and Choreographer - Esther Huss
Dance Group - Alison Johnston, Becca Sproat, Carol Wilson, Helen Moore, Joyce Woodhouse, Karen Renforth, Lynn Henderson, Mary Pickin, Pearl Ford, Sarah O’Neil
Filming and editing - Meerkat Films
Live Dance Artist - Skye Reynolds
Roaring Voices:
Facilitator - Alex Oates
Director - Joe Hufton
Monologues @ North Blyth house: ‘Frances Rose 17’ by Jan Bohan, ‘Edward’s Mother’ by Tracy Aitken, ‘Forecast’ by Brian Morgan.
Actor at North Blyth House - Lucy Elizabeth Davis
Monologues @ The Tute - ‘The Pitfall of Cambois’ by Becca Sproat, ‘Gracie’s Night Out’ by Hilary Elder, ‘The Hunter’s Child’ by Lauren Matthews, ‘The Twitch’ by Mary Pickin
Actor at The Tute - Christopher Connel
British Sign Language Interpretation - Caroline Ryan
Thanks to:
Trevor Hearing - Cambois Echoes of the Past filmmaker, Marianne Allan, Ryan Longstaff and Cambois Primary School, Jenny Tindale and East Bedlington Parish Council, Jo Townsend Jones and Cambois Club, Neville Craggs and Rev Ian Hennebry and St Andrews Parish, Port of Blyth, Cllr Alex Wallace, Wendy Scott, Linda and Steve Lynch, Cambois Camera Club, Woodhorn Museum and all of the volunteers who have supported the project.