Since becoming a volunteer at the Old Low Light Heritage Centre more than 10 years ago, Mike Coates has researched and written books about local history, including about some of the great people who helped to shape the town that North Shields is today.
He has given many well-received talks at the centre and on this occasion will share his research about Willy Garson, a prolific writer of booklets about local history who is relatively unknown to North Shields people.
Mike will explain almost every child in North Shields had a booklet, ‘The Origin of North Shields and its Growth’, written by Garson.
A founder member of the Tynemouth Antiquarian Society, Garson, an unassuming man, produced many booklets about different aspects of local life and a few years ago, Mike was given a box full of his writings which he has used to inform this talk.
As Mike has delved further into the life and interests of Willie Garson it has become clear that he played a major part in the Methodist movement at the time, including acting as secretary of just about every Methodist Church in the borough. He was also involved in the temperance movement, with strong connections to the Band of Hope and Rechabite Friendly Society.