Press Enquiries

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One hundred years ago, on the afternoon of Sunday 14th May 1911, there was a violent thunderstorm and subsequent cloudburst over Hareshaw near the village of Bellingham, Northumberland.  It destroyed buildings and footbridges, washed gardens away, flooded homes and riverside pastures and made roads impassable. The exhibition, which has been curated by AC (Freddie) Everatt, is open from Friday 5th August to Thursday 15th September.

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‘Love and Conflict, Fear and Delight’ – a feast of poetry and music about and from the Borders.

Visitors to the Heritage Centre at Bellingham, Northumberland, on Sunday 7 August are in for a huge treat as award-winning poet Pippa Little and the wonderful local traditional „crowder‟ (fiddler) Rachel Pearson are to perform there at 2.30 pm. 

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A group of ten young people in care created the next exhibition to be shown at the Heritage Centre at Bellingham, Northumberland. The photographic exhibition includes well-observed images of plants, birds and landscapes. „Young People in Care Photographing Northumberland‟ opens on Tuesday 5 July and runs to Thursday 21 July.

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Catherine Watson and David Walmsley, the newly appointed curator and education officer at the Heritage Centre at Bellingham, are to focus on children and young people as their first priority. The ‘loan boxes’ containing items from its collections which the Heritage Centre makes available to schools are to be redeveloped as the first step in a new project to improve the service provided to schools and youth projects. The Heritage Centre has recently acquired two old Mark 1 railway coaches which are currently being refurbished for education and exhibition space and a tea-room. The entire project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Northumberland Uplands LEADER Programme, comes at a time when more and more schools are visiting the Heritage Centre. Both the curator and education officer posts are on a three year part-time consultancy basis.

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The Heritage Centre at Bellingham expects to take delivery of its two old Mark 1 railway coaches this week. The first coach is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday morning 12th April with the second arriving two days later. The coaches are being transported from Okehampton in Devon. The Heritage Centre commissioned an experienced company which has, if one dare risk a pun, a good track record in working with museums which need to move railway coaches and engines. The company is liaising with Northumbria police about the best route to Bellingham.

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Organisers of the annual Classic and Vintage Vehicles Weekend at Bellingham Heritage Centre on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th April are hoping for a repeat of last year"s glorious weather which drew a record turn-out of vehicles and visitors. The former station yard on Woodburn Road is the venue for the Heritage Centre"s large and varied display of classic and vintage vehicles. Along with local exhibitors there will be others from the North East and from Scottish Borders car and motor cycle clubs. The event is organised by Wesley Turnbull.

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The Heritage Centre at Bellingham, Northumberland would like its visitors to knit it a woollen scarf - a very, very, very long scarf. The "Knitting People Together" project is not a bid for a world record but is an attempt to get as many people as possible, from home and abroad, to create something very special – a hand-knitted woollen scarf "made by many hands from many places". The names of knitters, and the places they come from, will be recorded and the Centre will produce a map, for display, listing them.

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If you have a bit of time to spare, the Heritage Centre at Bellingham would like to hear from you. Whether your interests and talents lie in making visitors welcome and helping them to make the most out of their visit, or in some of the backroom tasks such as administration, marketing, publicity, database work, maintenance and cleaning, you will find a role at the Centre. The Heritage Centre has over 40 volunteers at present.

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The Robert Stephenson Trust is mounting an exhibition “Robert Stephenson – Life and Rainhill” at Bellingham Heritage Centre, Northumberland, between 4th April and 11th May 2011.

The exhibition will highlight the engineering genius of Robert Stephenson and feature details of his competitors in the „Rainhill Trials‟. There will also be an opportunity to take an interactive tour of part of the factory and offices of Robert Stephenson and Company where the locomotive "Rocket" was built.

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Not satisfied with the record numbers of visitors in 2010, when over 4000 came, the Heritage Centre at Bellingham, Northumberland, has committed itself to a target of 10,000 by the end of 2013. This is in comparison to 2007 when just 1,700 people visited. The Centre is racing to meet the 2013 target by appointing two part-time consultants to develop the exhibitions and education programmes, providing extra exhibition and learning space and opening a tea-room. These developments, which will cost £234,000 over three years, are possible because of its success and careful planning which have attracted the necessary money from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Northern Uplands LEADER Programme.

CORRECTION NOTICE re Press Release issued 14 March 2011 entitled “RACING TO MEET DEMAND AS VISITOR NUMBERS RISE BY OVER 20%”

1. The Northumberland Uplands LEADER project was incorrectly named as „Northern Uplands LEADER programme‟.
2. The following explanatory sentence was omitted: “The LEADER funding is made available through the Rural Development Programme for England, which is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union, and is managed by One NorthEast in the North East region.”

Further information:

Northumberland Uplands LEADER: http://www.nuleader.eu/casestudies.htm

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The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has today announced a confirmed¹ grant of £173,600 to the Heritage Centre, Bellingham for an exciting new project that will open up the North East's rich railway history.

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WINNER OF MURAL PRIZE DRAW ANNOUNCED

At the prize draw held to mark the unveiling of the Ninety-Nine Northumbriana mural on Tuesday 14 December at the Heritage Centre at Bellingham, the lucky winner of a framed limited edition print of a painting of Hesleyside Woods in Spring, by the mural artist Rachel Pearson, was Mrs Deborah  Iden from  Kielder. Mrs Iden is a regular visitor to the Heritage Centre with her two young children who love the place.

HEATING SYSTEM BREAKDOWN CAUSES HERITAGE CENTRE TO CLOSE EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR

The Heritage Centre at Bellingham, Northumberland, announced with regret today that it was closing early for Christmas/New Year due to the failure of the heating system provided by its landlords. The Centre normally closes over Christmas and New Year but the lack of heating forced it to close a week early. It will reopen on Wednesday 5 January 2011. Messages to that effect have been posted on the Centre’s website www.bellingham-heritage.org.uk, answering machine, and premises.

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When: Tuesday 14 December 2010 between 2.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. (Special Opening)
Where: Station Yard, Woodburn Road, BELLINGHAM, Northumberland, NE48 2DF
What: Unveiling of mural Ninety-Nine Northumbriana, reception and related prize draw. Heritage Centre volunteers and friends will also attend.

Ninety-Nine Northumbriana – a new mural for the Heritage Centre, painted by local artist Rachel Pearson.

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One of the North-East’s foremost poets is leading a Writing Workshop at the Heritage Centre at Bellingham, Northumberland, on Thursday 7 October to mark National Poetry Day. Linda France’s Workshop will relate to the exhibition Border Song which is currently showing at the Heritage Centre. The exhibition, in word and image, is a collaboration between the poet and artist Kim Lewis and is based on the biblical Song of Songs. The Workshop, which is limited to 12 people, will be held from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. and costs £15.  The Writing Workshop is open to beginners as well as those who have previous experience. Bookings for the Workshop are being taken by the Queen’s Hall, Hexham on (01434) 652 477 or on their website: www.queenshall.co.uk

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Story-teller Chris Bostock will be spinning some of his yarns for children and grown-ups on the Bellingham Heritage Centre stand at Saturday’s Bellingham Show. Chris is a professional story-teller and theatre worker who tells tales from many cultures. He will be in the Heritage Centre’s Story-telling tent from 10.30 to 3.30. Story sessions will last 30 minutes with 15-minute intervals between sessions. The story-telling is free to children and adults.

Aycliffe and District Bus Preservation Society, at the request of the Heritage Centre, is arranging a shuttle bus service, using vintage buses, from the Heritage Centre to and from the Show-grounds. A similar service was a huge success last year. Information about the schedule will be available later from the Heritage Centre website, www.bellingham-heritage.org.uk, or from the Tourist Information Centre on (01434) 220 616.

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One of the most beautiful books in the Bible is the inspiration for an enthralling new collaboration between artist Kim Lewis and poet Linda France. They have taken the lyrical Song of Songs, which is believed to have been written in Israel around 3000 years ago, and translated it to the North Tyne valley in Northumberland. Their version celebrates love of the land, love between two people and love of spirit in a series of images and poems. Border Song will be exhibited at the Heritage Centre at Bellingham, Northumberland from Monday 20 September to Friday 29 October 2010.

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BBC Newsnight uses our Simon Armitage photos without acknowledgement

When BBC Newsnight contacted this small volunteer-run local museum yesterday, 27 July 2010, saying they wanted to use some stills from our Simon Armitage video we were thrilled – national recognition at last!

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In its latest initiative, the volunteer-run Heritage Centre at Bellingham, Northumberland has organised its first ever live webcasts to internet viewers all over the world. The webcasts will feature local artist Rachel Pearson as she paints a mural in the Centre. The mural, Ninety-Nine Northumbriana, which will be approximately 2.5 square metres in size, will feature 99 images of Northumberland life. The first webcast takes place today Tuesday July 13th (10am – 12.45pm), and others are scheduled for Wednesday 14th, Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th, with more to follow over the next six weeks. Starting time is 10.00 a.m. each day. Internet viewers can see the live webcasts (or recorded videos when Rachel is not painting) of Ninety-Nine Northumbriana on http://www.bellingham-heritage.org.uk/pages/special-events/ninety-nine-northumbriana.php

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While the nation hopes for a peaceful and speedy end to the ‘Rothbury’ tragedy, a major poet is walking through another part of Northumberland on the first stages of his 264-mile Pennine Way journey. Poet Simon Armitage set out from Kirk Yetholm on Thursday 8 July and will reach home on Monday 26 July. He is giving readings in the towns and villages along the route. On Saturday 10 July he will arrive in historic Bellingham, a gateway to the magnificent Northumberland National Park. The Heritage Centre at Bellingham is hosting a reading and Northumbrian evening, while one of its committee members will provide the poet with food and overnight accommodation. The open-air event starts at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday 10 July in Station Yard, Woodburn Road, Bellingham, Northumberland, NE48 2DF. Visitors are asked to bring a seat or rug and a picnic (and perhaps rainwear!). The entertainment is free but Simon Armitage will pass a hat around and take up a collection for himself. Normal admission charges will apply for entry to the museum.

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One of the great cultural events of the summer in the North will be the readings poet Simon Armitage will give in towns and villages during his walk along the Pennine Way between the 7th and 26th July. He will reach historic Bellingham, a gateway town to the Northumberland National Park, on Saturday 10 July, where the Heritage Centre has organised a reading. Also taking part is a group of local musicians and singers. The open-air event starts at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday 10 July in Station Yard, Woodburn Road, Bellingham, Northumberland, NE48 2DF. Visitors are asked to bring a seat or rug and a picnic (and perhaps rainwear!). The entertainment is free but Simon Armitage will pass a hat around and take up a collection for himself. Normal admission charges will apply for entry to the museum.

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Although the love of poetry burns bright in many hearts, it is not often that major poets give readings in the small towns and villages along the Pennine Way. It is no wonder then that they are responding with enthusiasm to Simon Armitage’s request for help during this long walk which he is doing in the style of the old troubadours. Bellingham, a gateway to Northumberland National Park, is one of the places where plans have been laid to welcome Mr Armitage. The Heritage Centre has organised a reading on Saturday 10 July. A group of local musicians and singers will also entertain. The open-air event starts at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday 10 July in Station Yard, Woodburn Road, Bellingham, Northumberland. Visitors are advised to bring a seat or rug, a picnic and rainwear.

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It was during the hard winter of 2009 that Yvonne Davies went to study and photograph the work of the foresters and woodsmen of Northumberland. Yvonne saw how harsh the forest working environment can be and how this contrasts sharply with the magnificence of the landscape and the warmth of character of the Northumbrian forester. This stunning exhibition of 14 images gives us a privileged view of how foresters play such a vital role in our lives. In Our Back Yard is at the Heritage Centre at Bellingham, Northumberland, from Tuedsay 6 July to Sunday 5 August 2010.

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What do you do when a famous but sweaty and probably footsore poet comes by, looking for a place to lay his tired body and a venue where he can raise money by reading his poetry? This is the challenge that Simon Armitage set communities along the Pennine Way which he is walking this summer ‘... in the style of the old troubadours...’. The Heritage Centre at Bellingham, Northumberland, where he will stop overnight on Saturday 10 July, is one of the groups providing a venue while one of its committee members has invited the poet to stay in his home that night.

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For twenty years, professional photographer Neil Denham has worked for some of the country’s top magazines, newspapers, advertising and PR agencies. Now, for this new exhibition, he has moved from the glamorous world of London advertising and PR to the farms and workshops of his birthplace where he has been photographing unsung working heroes of Northumberland.

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Not since the 50's has Bellingham station yard been as busy as it was last weekend. The station yard was the venue for the Heritage Centre’s large and varied display of classic and vintage vehicles. This now annual event was baked in sunshine and had a record turn-out of vehicles and people. Along with local exhibitors there were others from the North East and from Scottish Borders car and motor cycle clubs. On Sunday visitors were treated to a trip to Hesleyside Hall, travelling in two vintage buses. According to Wesley Turnbull, the man behind the vintage vehicles weekend, “This was the highlight of the weekend with everyone having a great time on the trip, returning to tea and cakes in the sunshine in Station Yard.”