Pegswood in Song & Talk
Location: Northumberland
Brian Sykes was the driving force behind this project to preserve the traditional music, song, poetry and stories of Morpeth and the Pegswood area in south east Northumberland. Drawing upon the rich tradition of mining in the area he wanted to make a recording of songs and stories that had not been heard before; to make them attractive to children and to use local children in the recording.
He was fortunate to be joined in the project by the enthusiasm and dedication from all who took part, in particular Ian Bruce, the musical engineer and Stewart Hardy who was an inspiration on the fiddle. He was also lucky in getting the help of a graphic design company, who do alot of work for Disney and Warner Brothers, to design the cover for the CD so it would be attractive to children.
The collected works, ranging from the 16th to mid 20th century, were researched by Johnny Handle who is Professor of Traditional Music at Newcastle University and were performed by local musicians together with groups of children from St. Roberts RC Primary school in Morpeth and the Pegswood Community Project.
A CD was produced entitled "Low Main" named after the coal seam that runs through the area. It was distributed free to schools and libraries. It is now in record shops and selling. Schools use it for assembly, history, geography and drama classes.
From all the interest and enthusiasm the was generated over the course of the project, Brian Sykes would like to create another project archiving and recording the contemporary song and music of the area. He has also been asked by schools to try and produce an educational pack to help them use the material in various subjects.
Group Name |
|
Potters Folk |
| Project Contact |
|
Brian Sykes
Tel: 01670 825 199 |
| Address |
|
Morpeth, Northumberland |
| Finishing Date |
|
22 April 2002 |
| See also |
|
Potters Folk website |
| Grants: |
Heritage Lottery Fund: £9,405
|
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
Audio
