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.

Find out more

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

- Kyle Shields

Self-Belief and Emotional Wellbeing / March 16th, 2022

Wellbeing and the Arts / March 16th, 2022

Teenage Boys Mental Wellbeing and Prevention of Poverty Programme

Within the context of Covid and the devastating impact Lockdown has had on all young people, we believed that it was even more important to find a way to ensure our work was delivered to the young people most in need.

Consett Heritage Project / June 27th, 2024

Stephen Robinson - Consett Heritage Podcast

Stephen Robinson, who works and lives in Consett and is an independent councillor at Durham County Council, sits down to talk about his current links to Consett, the impact the steelworks had on him, and advice he has for young people.

Consett Heritage Project / August 30th, 2023

Voices of Consett - Mick

Mick is 86, with a long family history in Consett. All of his family bar one lives in Consett, Blackhill and Leadgate and he has lots of grandchildren living in Consett too. His family background in Consett goes back years and years!