Ellie's Celebration of Stanley

Youth Social Action / Celebrating Stanley / August 29th, 2025

Ellie's Celebration of Stanley

I never knew there was so much history in Stanley. I always thought it was just a random, boring town that had always been here. I did know a bit about the mining history because I live in Quaking Houses, which used to be a mining village. But, I had no idea about Stanley’s involvement in the FA Cup or anything like that. Learning all of this made me realise that Stanley actually has a rich and interesting past.

Right now, though, Stanley feels boring. It seemed like it had more spirit back then, and now people just think of it as a rough area. For the future, I’d like that to change. I think we need to bring back that sense of community that used to exist. We could do that by organising festivals, events, and things that bring people together.

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“It’s a shame there’s no football ground or community space where people can go to enjoy themselves. Having something like that could really help rebuild community spirit and give people a reason to feel proud of Stanley again.”

- Ellie McGuire

Consett Heritage Project / October 20th, 2023

Voices of Consett - Ian Malpass

Ian Malpass, born and bred in Consett, tells us about his time at 'The Works', how it felt when the steelworks closed, and how his family worked and managed after the closure. A great insight into the true spirit of Consett folk.

Youth Social Action / November 12th, 2021

Aspirations and Future Planning / November 12th, 2021

Benfieldside Community Garden / November 12th, 2021

Time to Break the Cycle? #COP26

It was a real privilege for me to be Chair of the Eco debate ‘Going in Circles’ organised by Engineering Today and After the Pandemic. Here is a brief overview of our discussion, as well as our suggestions about how we can move forward.

Consett Heritage Project / November 17th, 2023

Edwin Oxley - Consett Heritage Podcast

Edwin started as an apprentice at the Consett Steelworks in 1961, as a 15-year-old. Over time he developed a whole host of skills and describes the excellent training he received both at technical college in Consett and Gateshead, and on the jobs in the boiler shop, foundry, blast furnace, plate mills - amongst others. He worked in every department! Take a listen to his podcast which gives a fascinating insight into the opportunities made available to him and how this gave him a solid foundation for the rest of his working life. He also gives our young people some great advice!