A new venue has opened aimed at showcasing one of Gateshead’s best-known heritage sites and a green corridor along two of the area’s rivers.
The Tyne Derwent Way officially opened on April 11, 2024, after a £1.5m redevelopment of the original trail between Gateshead Quays and Gibside. That day also marked the first time the Dunston Staiths had opened to the public in five years.
The new venue, named the Tyne Derwent Way at The Staiths, stands at the west end of the Grade-II listed structure. Lucy Zwolinksa, community and participation consultant with the National Trust, said that the venue would be a “starting point” in learning about the area’s heritage.
She told ChronicleLive: “It’s a front to the project and the location is really important as it’s just by the west end of the Staiths which we know people love. We can’t open it during the winter months because of the nesting birds and how slippery the structure is.
“But we can run nature events and heritage walks from here. And it’s a starting point to point to other parts of the Tyne Derwent Way too.”
The venue is considered a pop-up space for now, as the National Trust and other partners work out how best to use it. It’s currently hosting a photography exhibition on The Staiths in the 1970s by Finnish photographer Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, and a host of arts and crafts projects – many of which are aimed at children.
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
It is hoped that the space will be opened up to community groups in the future too. Since opening, Lucy says it has gone down a storm in the local community.
She said: “It’s been so nice, my favourite bit is people coming in and saying ‘my dad worked there’ or someone actually pointed out one of the photos wasn’t the Staiths! It’s so interesting, you have got the heritage and granddads telling their families stories.
“It’s a nice way of thinking about heritage that we want to keep passing on. It feels like an intergenerational space really.”
In January, the National Trust revealed that the Tyne Derwent Way was part of its plans to address the UK’s mental health crisis. The trail, one of three green corridors in the North East, has been identified as a key site to end unequal access to nature, beauty and history.
However, work started long before January and Lucy says that it’s been a busy ten months since opening. She finished: “It feels like there has been so much, volunteering has been going really well, we have done lots of clean ups in Gateshead Riverside Park.
“The forest school is absolutely gorgeous and flourishing. There are lots of events for local families and it’s all really exciting.”
There are a number of activities planned during half-term at the Tyne Derwent Way, including making Gateshead-themed bunting and puppet making. Families can also take part in a bird walk and survey, or learn how to create a display in window art.
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View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/gateshead-derwent-way-dunston-staiths-31050505
