I’m a Preston Hospital baby and a North Shields girl through and through. My path in life went via Whitehouse primary, Preston High school and Tynemouth Sixth form. Being a home bird, when it was time for university, I only made it up the Coast Road on the 308 to Newcastle. I later joined Northumbria Police as a constable, spending the first twenty years at North Shields police station, the first couple as a foot beat officer in the town centre. I have happy memories of a bustling place with buses in the Square, the Chronicle man selling papers beneath the clock, loads of people about and no empty shops – plenty of shoplifters to keep me busy mind!
After thirty years’ service I retired in 2021 and had the luxury of time on my hands. There was plenty to do – a bottomless list of DIY and gardening chores – and I picked up new hobbies: swimming down at King Eddies, knitting socks on circular needles, learning Korean on Duolingo (thanks Squid Game) and lots of other random things to keep my brain busy. I also picked up my old hobby of creative writing and took a few courses via New Writing North which really helped me get back in the swing of putting pen to paper.
My eyes lit up when I saw a post about the creation of the ‘I Love North Shields’ magazine. I enjoyed writing at home, entering short story competitions and the likes, but I was spending a lot of time on my own and missed interacting with people. I thought this would be a great opportunity to develop my writing and get out and about. I was really nervous about going along to the first meeting however as I had no professional experience of writing and wasn’t hugely confident in my ability. I think I would probably have bottled it had it not been for a pep talk from my daughter!
I need not have worried as from my very first encounter with Simmie and the ILNS team, I was made to feel welcome and valued. It’s hard to believe we’re now approaching issue ten and I’m chuffed to have had articles published in most of them. In the process, I’ve met some amazing local people and been lucky enough to get a behind the scenes look at places I wouldn’t usually get to see, for example when interviewing Barney Miller from the Salt Market last week, I ended up on the roof enjoying spectacular views of the river. I feel privileged to have access to these people and places and to tell their story – and there are so many stories to tell! The energy at our monthly meetings is electric with everyone enthusiastically throwing new ideas into the ring for the next issue. My hope is that we can get the funding to print even more paper copies and make the magazine accessible to a bigger audience. Following the loss of the Shields Guardian, it seems people are once again enjoying having a local publication to pick up and read.
And finally, my favourite part of North Shields? It has to be Northumberland Park. Watching the changing seasons, catching sight of a rare bird and enjoying the best cheese scones in the café. It also brings back warm memories of my daughter growing up: sledging down snowy banks and making a den in the trees. We had a tradition of going on September 1st to our ‘special’ tree and picking up conkers which we’d put in a bowl in the hallway. Though she’s flown the nest and living away now, you’ll still find me in the park at the start of September, visiting our tree and slipping a stray conker into my pocket…
Hire Me: Experienced Writer Available
If you’re looking for a passionate and skilled writer to bring your ideas to life, look no further. With a strong background in storytelling, content creation, and community-driven projects, I specialize in producing engaging, high-quality content tailored to your needs.
Whether you need articles, blog posts, or creative writing that resonates with your audience, I’m here to help.
📩 Contact me at: [email protected]
