LOCAL NEWS

Photographer Harry Hann with his photograph that became the inspiration for thr Fisherman;s Memorial

NORTH SHIELDS FISHERMEN’S MEMORIAL TO BE REVEALED IN SEPTEMBER Sunday 24th September will be the day that the final design will be revealed

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hotographer Harry Hann (known locally as “Harry Hann - The Photo Man”) took a photograph in the 1950’s (entitled “The Salt”) of a typical fisherman of the time sitting on a bollard on the Fish Quay taking a break from his work. This would become the inspiration for a Memorial to fishermen lost at sea from the port of North Shields. With Harry’s permission, County Durham sculptor Ray Lonsdale based one of his drawings for the memorial on the image and called it “Fiddler’s Green” – it was one of 8 designs, by four sculptors, that was put to a public vote back in the summer of 2016. “Fiddler’s Green” won with just over 47% of all the votes cast, and very soon Ray Lonsdale’s 2.25x life size sculpture will stand proudly on the fish quay for the next 150 years or more. North Shields photographer Alison Spedding will be documenting the progress of the memorial being built and has organised two “meet the sculptor” Question & Answer events, hosted by BBC correspondent Adrian Pitches for Saturday 12 August at the Old Low Light Heritage Centre for 2:15pm and 4:15pm. Adrian will lead the Q&A but members of the audience will be invited to ask Ray questions too.

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Tickets are priced £4 and are now available from the Old Low Light Heritage Centre at Clifford’s Fort or contact info@alisonspedding.co.uk It will be a great opportunity for those attending to listen to Ray talk about how he actually set about creating this unique piece of public art and to see photographs by Alison Spedding of the memorial as it is being constructed in Ray’s South Hetton workshop. The final design made in weathering steel, bestknown under the trademark COR-TEN, developed to eliminate the need for painting as it forms a stable rustlike appearance when exposed to the weather, will be in place for around 150+ years. The design will be made in weathering steel, bestknown under the trademark COR-TEN, developed to eliminate the need for painting as it forms a stable rustlike appearance when exposed to the weather. The final design will be revealed to the public on Sunday 24 September between 11:30am – 1pm at a ceremony in front of what the group hope will be hundreds of local residents on the foreshore at Clifford’s Fort, North Shields on the green space that looks out beyond the North and South Piers. The Group hope that the day will be one of celebration