2022 was a rollercoaster of a year here at Redhills. Whilst the building was closed to the public ahead of our major redevelopment, the team were busier than ever – with lots of work behind the scenes and exciting projects out in the community. As the year drew to a close, we looked back on some of our highlights:
January
We welcomed young people to the Pitman’s Parliament to support our renovation through Woodshed Workshop.
February
We appointed our first Chief Executive; a familiar face in a new role
March
We attended the unveiling of the Ruth First House mural renewal
April
- We welcomed Fiona Hills to Redhills for the first time in a long time, and she told us the story of when she visited to get her scholarship which kick-started her Russian language studies.
- Continued our work with UCL on exploring social and economic change to develop a deeper understanding of place – focusing on Sacriston.
May
- We supported the Durham City of Culture bid and welcomed the judges and the One Show to Redhills.
- We learned more about our category D villages with the launch of a new short-film
June
- We enjoyed our day at Sacriston Party in the Park to mark the Queen’s jubilee, telling the story of Redhills and collecting photographs from the community.
- We discovered the Marradharma and poetry of William Martin through an annual pilgrimage.
July
- We finally welcomed back the Gala after a two year-hiatus and provided entertainment for young people on the Gala field.
- We also worked on amazing co-commissions with our friends at the Brass Festival, including LYR Field Music and Chisato Minamimura
August
Having packed so much into July, we spent the summer month catching up on all of our work behind the scenes, including all-important fundraising bids. Oh, and the small matter of publicly announcing our intention to join a transnational bid for UNESCO World Heritage Status, which gained traction internationally.
September
We launched our Youth Brass Band with a visit to see Brassed Off at the Gala theatre; since then, they’ve already played at the Gala Theatre and Sage Gateshead!
October
We celebrated the 107th anniversary of our opening and commemorated and celebrated the achievements of Thomas Hepburn 158 years after his death.
November
We successfully applied to be an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and won an award for our LYR co-commission with the Brass Festival!
We also attended the unveiling of a new miners’ memorial in Sherburn village, organised by one of the fantastic banner groups who keep the spirit of the gala alive all year round.
December
We closed the year with a wonderfully festive evening courtesy of the Durham Miners’ Association Brass Band, who gave their annual Christmas concert out on the road, this year at Durham Town Hall.
Phew! And if that wasn’t enough, we’ve continued lots of brilliant partnership working and met lots of new organisations with whom we hope to develop projects in the future. We thank all of our supporters for their continued support through 2022, and if you would like to keep updated regularly, you can sign up for our newsletter to learn about our plans as we prepare for an even busier 2023!