North Shields at heart.
I Love North Shields is an independent local publishing, events and creative collaboration platform based in North Shields, North Tyneside, in North East England.
Founded by Simone “Simmie” Harper in 2024, I Love North Shields brings people together through original local stories, photography, events, experiences, markets and creative collaborations.
We celebrate the people, places, independents, culture, food, heritage and ideas that make North Shields interesting — and we’re always curious about what’s happening next.
Stories • Events • Experiences • Collabs
Fresh ideas. Great partnerships. Common ground.
More than a local media page
I Love North Shields started with storytelling, but it has never been only about publishing.
We tell stories about people and places.
We discover independent businesses and hidden corners.
We create and curate events and experiences.
We bring photographers, writers, artists, makers, businesses and organisations together.
And sometimes we simply spot a good idea and decide to make it happen.
From community storytelling and photography to photowalks, exhibitions, vintage markets, cultural projects and partnerships, ILNS combines media, creativity and real-world experiences.
The result is a community that exists both online and in real life.
Our story
I Love North Shields was created by Simone Harper in 2024 as an independent way of celebrating North Shields through the people who live, work, create and spend time here.
One of its earliest projects was the I Love North Shields magazine.
The magazine developed into a community publishing project delivered through I Love North Shields CIC, with volunteer writers, photographers and contributors helping to document life in the town.
Across 19 editions, the magazine captured local people, independent businesses, history, photography, poetry, culture, community projects and everyday North Shields life.
The regular print project concluded in 2026.
Those 19 editions now form the I Love North Shields Magazine Archive and remain free to read online as a record of North Shields during this period. Full archive here: https://fliphtml5.com/bookcase/afvlh/
We’re enormously grateful to everyone who contributed their words, photographs, ideas and time to that project.
A new chapter for I Love North Shields
Today, I Love North Shields operates independently under its founder, Simone Harper, trading as I Love North Shields.
The former CIC structure is being wound down and does not represent the future operating model for ILNS.
Instead, I Love North Shields is returning to something deliberately simpler, more flexible and more creative.
There is no formal editorial committee or permanent volunteer team.
We work with people in different ways depending on the idea.
Someone might contribute a photograph.
Someone might write one story.
A photographer might collaborate with us on a project.
A local independent might invite us to discover something new.
A cultural organisation or business might work with us on a campaign, event or experience.
And when a commercial or funded project requires professional creative work, we can commission freelancers and collaborators appropriately.
You don’t have to join a team to be part of I Love North Shields.
People
People are at the heart of ILNS.
We’re interested in the characters behind businesses, creative work, traditions, neighbourhoods, food, music, history and everyday life.
Some are well known.
Others are people you may have walked past hundreds of times without knowing their story.
We think both matter.
Places
North Shields is home.
From the Fish Quay and town centre to the coast, neighbourhoods, independent shops, cafés, pubs, galleries and overlooked corners, we want people to discover the town differently.
Our curiosity also takes us further.
We increasingly explore North Tyneside, the wider North East, the coast and places beyond the region when there is an interesting story, experience or collaboration connecting them.
Events & experiences
Sometimes the best way to tell a story is to experience it.
ILNS creates and supports events and experiences that bring people together — including markets, photowalks, creative gatherings, exhibitions and collaborations.
Our I Love North Shields Vintage Markets bring independent vintage traders, creatives, food, music and visitors together in North Shields and are operated separately through Simone Harper’s sole-trader business.
We’re always interested in ideas that make people think:
“I’d like to be part of that.”
Collaborations & partnerships
We like working with people who have good ideas.
I Love North Shields collaborates with independent businesses, creatives, cultural organisations, visitor-economy partners, public organisations and commercial brands on projects that have a genuine connection to people and place.
That might include:
editorial storytelling and features; photography and social content; events and experiences; creative campaigns; community engagement; local discovery; cultural and heritage projects; or something completely new.
Our approach is simple:
Find the interesting idea. Find the right people. Make something worth noticing.
Contribute to I Love North Shields
You don’t need to become a volunteer or join an editorial team.
If you have something interesting to share, we want to hear about it.
You might have a story.
A photograph.
A piece of local history.
A person we should meet.
A new business we should discover.
An experience worth trying.
Or an idea that could become a collaboration.
Some people contribute once. Others come back regularly.
Both are welcome.
Work with I Love North Shields
If you’re a business, cultural organisation, tourism partner, community organisation or brand and you have an idea for North Shields or the wider North East, we’d love to talk.
We combine local knowledge, original storytelling, creative production, events, photography and an established community audience to create work that feels authentic rather than imposed.
Have an idea? Let’s make something interesting.
