Free ‘warm space’ activities planned at Old Low Light Heritage Centre

The Old Low Light Heritage Centre on North Shields Fish Quay is once again offering a ‘warm space’ on Fridays over the winter.

With financial support from North Tyneside Council, the centre will be a ‘warm space’ on Fridays, offering free teas and coffees, with the opportunity to take part in some free activities including heritage walks, informal talks, and craft sessions.

The first of these will be an hour-long heritage walk, led by retired master mariner and Old Low Light volunteer, Martin Kenny, starting outside the centre on Clifford’s Fort on Friday 17 November at 11am.

On the following Friday, November 24, from 1pm to 2pm, Old Low Light friend, Sylvia Lambert, will be in the heritage gallery to talk about her memories of the Royal Merchant Navy School in Berkshire, which for many years provided an education and boarding for children who lost a parent while in Merchant Navy service. Information about the school is included in the centre’s current exhibition ‘Merchant Navy – Tyneside Stories’.

On Friday 1 December from 1pm to 2pm, Old Low Light volunteers, Margaret Sturmey and Sue Myers, will lead a craft session on the top floor in the centre (materials will be provided). This follows on from their successful knitting and crochet sessions over the summer for the ‘sea of poppies’ project, resulting in over 3,000 poppies which were used in a display outside the centre in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday.

Watch out on www.oldlowlight.co.uk or follow the Old Low Light on Facebook and @Old_LowLight for details of later ‘warm space’ activities.

Centre director Guy Moody said: “Thanks to funding from North Tyneside Council, we are very pleased to be able to again offer a ‘warm space’ on Fridays over the winter as we know that people are continuing to feel the pressure of rising costs, including high energy bills.

“The centre with its café and galleries is already a popular venue with many who come regularly to meet friends and find out about the heritage and history of the area. This funding allows us to extend our welcome to others with the message that they can be assured a warm welcome and a free hot drink on Fridays, as well as some free activities if they want to spend some time in our centre as the weather gets colder.”

The Old Low Light Heritage Centre, in the oldest surviving building on the fish quay, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 3pm.Further information about the centre is available at https://oldlowlight.co.uk