Northern Souls - Going Down The Welly is a community project led by the Creative Lives On Air, working in partnership with Easington Social Welfare Centre in Easington Colliery and BBC Radio Tees. [Learn more]

This project aims to shine a light on the community at The Welfare Centre in Easington through workshop, stories and audio. Creative Lives will be gathering audio histories of the people who attend the centre and who have memories of a time when The Welfare was the place to be in Easington.

The story so far..

Meet Barry the Centre Manager who used to work down the pits, Sandra who runs the friendship group and 'will continue to do so till there's no breath left in my body', Derick who has his morning coffee in the building whilst on his way to hospital for his leukemia treatments - his artwork covers the walls of The Welly. Meet Alan who was the Easington Miners Lodge Secretary and the area president of the Durham Miners Association, the couple who met on the dance floor at 14 and who still attend in their 70's and so many more amazing people sharing their stories. The one thing all of these people have in common is their desire to see the centre thriving again.

 

Rachel, Creative Lives Producer and BBC Radio Tees presenter will be gathering stories from The Welfare Centre in some workshops held upstairs in the dance hall on the following dates, between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

• 19 October
• 16 November
• 30 November 
• 14 December

 

Tea and coffee provided. 

If you want to know more or have a story please contact Rachel Teate via email at [email protected].

Until September 2024 Creative Lives and BBC Radio Tees will be working with the Easington Community to devise a collection of stories and a creative response to the fascinating heritage of The Welly.