Kyle's Celebration of Stanley

Youth Social Action / Celebrating Stanley / September 1st, 2025

Kyle's Celebration of Stanley

I’ve learned about the West Stanley Pit disaster, including how many people were killed and what the witnesses said about it. I can’t imagine working in the mines—it was dark, cramped, and claustrophobic. I also found out that the person who made the first film for Universal Studios was actually from Stanley, which is something I’d never heard before.

I don’t think we celebrate Stanley’s history enough—nobody really talks about it, and that’s a shame.

It also feels like not many people in Stanley get along. I think we could improve that by having more community events that bring people together. Right now, there’s no football stadium, no cinema, and no local teams. We could really improve the town by using spaces like the site where the old school is being knocked down. Instead of just leaving it empty, we should rebuild and make the area somewhere people actually want to be. It would make a big difference to the way people feel about Stanley.

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“We could really improve the town by using spaces like the site where the old school is being knocked down.”

- Kyle Shields

Consett Heritage Project / September 18th, 2023

Voices of Consett - Eileen

Eileen has lived in Consett for 64 years, her family live in Consett, she works and socialises in Consett, her grandchildren go to school in Consett, so you could say her whole life is in Consett. She has three children and three grandchildren who all live in this area, one of them teaches in Leadgate, in Consett.

Consett Heritage Project / March 27th, 2024

John Fox - Consett Heritage Podcast

John has lived his whole life in Consett and tells us all about his experiences working at Consett Steelworks and beyond! He also explains what he has planned for Consett for the future, and how he needs your help to make his dream for Consett a reality.

Consett Heritage Project / September 9th, 2024

Joan Colling - Consett Heritage Podcast

Joan is from a family who have lived and worked in Consett for many generations. She worked at the steelworks and discussed her role at the steelworks, and the impact the closure had on her family, friends and the community as a whole.