Vibe Autumn 2017

If it’s on in 

Sunderland, 

it’s in! 

Autumn 2017 

Dancing 

in the 

City pg4 

Eat, drink it’s 

Restaurant 

Week pg6-7 

What’s On this 

Autumn pg17-23 

vibemagazine.co.uk 

@SunderlandVibe 

SunderlandVibe 

@SunderlandVibe

Hello 

Hello there and welcome back to Vibe, a magazine bringing 

you nothing but positive news about Sunderland. 

Our theme for this, our twelfth edition, is music, arts and 

culture which is apt as the opening of the city’s new arts hub, 

The Fire Station, is drawing near and the city is still celebrating 

being shortlisted in the UK City of Culture 2021 competition. 

The renovated 1907 fire station in High Street West is symbolic 

of a cultural renaissance in Sunderland and will open in 

November with regional dance agency Dance City and 

acclaimed theatre company Live Theatre as tenants. Our 

fantastic cover picture shows a Dance City dancer outside of 

the building. 

But with the huge amount of added investment heading our 

way, the artistic and cultural offering for Wearsiders is going to 

be even bigger and better – hopefully in the lead up to the city 

being named City of Culture 2021 in December. 

Thank you and enjoy our twelfth edition. 

Rob Lawson 

Editor, Vibe 

inside... 

Work on a £8.2m auditorium adjacent to The Fire Station will 

start later this year, providing the city with a brand new venue 

for live music, drama and the spoken word. 

Earlier this summer it was announced that Sunderland 

Culture, a new company formed to run major city attractions 

including National Glass Centre and the Sunderland Museum 

and Winter Gardens, had been awarded National Portfolio 

Organisation (NPO) status by Arts Council England (ACE). This 

means substantial, regular funding over a three-year period for 

the company, created by the University of Sunderland, the city 

council and Sunderland Music Arts and Culture (MAC) Trust. 

And it’s not the only investment in Sunderland by the Arts 

Council. It continues to support the innovative work of The 

Cultural Spring, backed this year’s free Summer Streets music 

festival and joint funded Sunderland’s Great Place Scheme 

with the Heritage Lottery Fund. This £1.25m investment in 

the city aims to put arts, culture and heritage at the heart of 

communities. 

It’s great to see these major national organisations supporting 

the city’s ambitious cultural development plans. 

What it will mean in practice is that there will be more events, 

shows, performances, festivals, activities and community 

participation programmes for us all to enjoy. 

This edition of Vibe will be a reminder of what a busy place our 

city already is – in recent weeks we’ve enjoyed three largescale 

music festivals; Europe’s biggest international airshow, 

yet another West End show at the Empire and fantastic 

exhibitions both at National Glass Centre and the Museum 

and Winter Gardens. 

Page 4 Page 13 Page 26 

Dance City steps into Sunderland 4 

Sunderland’s newest arts venue 5 

Savour the return of Sunderland Restaurant Week 6 - 7 

The Bridges is ready for the new term 9 

Gentoo residents take a step back in time 11 

Sunderland Illuminations and Festival of Light 13 

Hats off to the University of Sunderland 15 

If It’s On, It’s In 17 - 23 

City ambassadors ready to mak’em smile 24 

Help shape the city’s future 25 

Sunderland College’s state of the Arts Academy 26 - 27 

Genfactor stars take to the stage 28 

Gentoo apprentices start their careers 29 

LGBT Festival is ready to burst with community spirit 30 - 31 

Students - ready, set, raid at The Bridges 33 

No butts - the reasons to stop smoking 35 

Sunderland’s BIG Walk 37 

Become a partner and help shape the city 38 

2 

vibemagazine.co.uk

UK City of Culture in 2021 

There was delight and joy in July 

when it was announced Sunderland 

had been shortlisted in the 

competition to become UK City of 

Culture in 2021. The city is up against 

Paisley, Coventry, Stoke and 

Swansea to win the coveted title. 

The impact of winning the title would 

transform the city, as has been seen in 

current UK City of Culture, Hull. It is 

estimated more than £60m will be 

invested in the East Yorkshire city, 

while a recent University of Hull study 

revealed massive economic and social 

benefits already being felt in the city. 

More than half of Hull’s city centre 

businesses have reported a positive 

impact linked to increased footfall, 

sales, diversification of customers 

and a positive atmosphere in the city. 

A total of 37 per cent of those 

Paul Callaghan, Chair of Sunderland 

Music, Arts and Culture (MAC) Trust, 

said: “We’ve seen more investment in 

arts and culture in Sunderland 

announced in the last 15 months than 

the previous 15 years. This amazing 

turnaround includes: 

£2.5m awarded by the 

Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to the 

MAC Trust for the £3.6m 

transformation of The Fire Station 

into a new arts and culture hub that 

opens in November 2017 

£6.2m awarded to the 

Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture 

(MAC) Trust to build a new £8.2m 

450-seater auditorium adjacent to 

the Fire Station that will open in 

July 2019 

businesses reported an increase in 

turnover and more than a quarter 

saw an increase in profit on the 

previous year. 

The study also shows 90 per cent of 

Hull’s residents had visited a cultural 

event so far this year and the title is 

bringing a feel-good factor and 

increased confidence to the city. 

Sunderland Bid Director Rebecca Ball 

was thrilled to be through to the final 

five, and at the support given so far: 

“There is a clear momentum building 

up in the city, an energy, a focus and 

an astonishing increase in the levels of 

investment into our cultural and 

heritage sector.” 

Now the bid team is urging Wearsiders 

to get involved and help secure the UK 

City of Culture prize for Sunderland. 

The Tall Ships 

Race will be 

hosted in 

Sunderland next 

year. More than 

1.5m visitors are 

expected over the 

four-day event, 

when more than 

80 Tall Ships are 

expected to sail 

into the Wear. 

£2.6m HLF grant 

towards the £3.6m scheme to 

transform the historic Holy Trinity 

Church into the Canny Space, a 

new cultural venue for Sunderland’s 

East End 

£1.25m of HLF and 

Sunderland Council funding 

enabling the restoration of Roker 

Pier and Lighthouse 

Rebecca said: “We can win this and 

one great way people can show their 

support is to follow us on social media 

– either like us on our Facebook page 

or follow us on Twitter at 

@Sunderland2021.” 

Go to www.sunderland2021.com to 

find out more ways to get involved 

with the bid. 

A second stage bid will be submitted 

to the competition judges in late 

September, with the winner being 

unveiled in current UK City of Culture 

Hull in December. 

£2.9m from HLF and 

£1.5m match funding from 

Sunderland Council to bring Hylton 

Castle back to life 

£1.25m of funding from 

the Arts Council and HLF Great 

Place Scheme secured by 

Sunderland Culture to put arts, 

culture and heritage at the heart of 

communities 

The Cultural Spring winning a 

further £1m of funding, on top of 

the original £2m, to increase arts 

participation in Sunderland and 

South Tyneside 

First stage approval from the 

Heritage Lottery Fund towards a 

£2m Townscape Heritage Grant to 

restore and improve the 

Bishopwearmouth Conservation 

Area 

And finally, Sunderland Culture 

gaining National Portfolio 

Organisation status from the Arts 

Council, gaining £2m of guaranteed 

funding over four years.” 

3

The dancer in our front page 

photograph is Dance City regular 

Noah, 7. He is pictured below with 

brother Eli, 5 and Anna Hall, from 

Sunderland dance company Braena. 

Two innovative and inspiring Associate 

Dance Companies will be working 

with Dance City at their new studios 

at The Fire Station. The studios are 

due to open in January 2018. 

Dance City Sunderland 

Dance City Flamenco Class 

Dance City is coming to Sunderland. 

With two brand new state of the art 

dance studios at The Fire Station. 

There will be opportunities to dance. 

Opportunities for everyone to dance. 

Not just people who’ve danced before. 

Not just children and not just the young. 

Dance City Sunderland is for everyone 

and absolute beginners are just as 

welcome as those who have danced all 

their lives, says Anthony Baker, Dance 

City Artistic Director/Joint CEO. 

“We’re really excited to be opening 

Dance City Sunderland. We’ve been 

running classes in Newcastle for over 

thirty years and we want to open up 

opportunities for more people to dance 

Dance City Pop Steps Class 

in Sunderland. Excellent teaching, 

accessible classes and a warm and 

friendly Dance City welcome are part of 

our DNA. 

Dance City classes don’t have exams. 

People just work to their own level. 

Everyone has their own reason for 

dancing - to rekindle a past hobby, learn 

something new, keep fit and healthy or 

meet like-minded people. Whatever your 

reason, we believe that anyone can enjoy 

dance. Come and join us. We’re offering 

everyone their first class for free.” 

If you can think of a style of dance, Dance 

City will probably do it. There will be 

classes in Tap, Ballet, Salsa, Dance/ 

Fitness, Contemporary, Aerial, Bollywood, 

Jazz, Musical Theatre, African Dance, 

Capoeira, Hip Hop, Yoga and Pilates. 

Dance City classes are inclusive and 

welcome those with additional needs. 

If you have any questions the friendly 

ticket office team are on hand to advise. 

Online booking opens late September 

and classes start on January 8, 2018. 

Children’s and adult’s taster days are 

taking place on Saturday 2 and Sunday, 

December 3. 

To find out more and receive 

notifications of free pre-opening taster 

classes and events, email 

info@dancecity.co.uk and ask to join 

the Sunderland mailing list. 

www.dancecity.co.uk · 0191 261 0505 

THRILLED... Braena’s Anna Hall with young 

Dance City dancers Noah and Eli 

Sunderland-based company Braena, 

is a movement-based performance 

company, made up of disabled and 

non-disabled dancers. They will be 

establishing an inclusive youth dance 

company, and teaching some of the 

community dance classes. 

Dance City Afro Mix Class 

Since 2013, Southpaw Dance 

Company has created powerful, 

joyous performances, from small 

scale solo work to large scale outdoor 

spectaculars, combining absolute 

artistic integrity with engaging 

narratives which inspire and excite 

audiences. 

4 

vibemagazine.co.uk

Sunderland’s 

newest 

arts venue 

Sunderland’s newest arts 

venue will open in spectacular fashion. 

The Fire Station’s free launch event will 

be based on the legend of the Lambton 

Worm and will wow an expected 

audience of 2,000 in late November 

with music, drama and movement. 

The Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture 

(MAC) Trust and the Cultural Spring 

have jointly commissioned acclaimed 

outdoor theatre company Periplum to 

deliver the event and community 

participation programmes which will 

lead up to the opening. 

More than 200 local people will be 

involved in the £120,000, six-month 

project and it is expected that at least 

100 local people will perform in the 

opening event. Funding has come 

from the MAC Trust, Cultural Spring, 

the Arts Council’s Grants 

for the Arts scheme and 

smaller grants from Nexus, 

Sunderland BID and Gentoo. 

Three delivery partners will work 

alongside Periplum –Dance City, Live 

Theatre and Sunderland Music 

Education Hub (SMEH). 

The Fire Station Director Helen Green 

said: “Periplum have created some 

magical experiences wherever they’ve 

worked and I know their opening event 

for The Fire Station will be a special 

performance that will live long in the 

memory. 

“It’s the sort of large-scale event 

that Sunderland could expect to see a 

lot more if we win the 2021 City of 

Culture bid.” 

The £3.5m transformation of the old 

fire station in High Street West is well 

underway. After standing empty 

for 22 years it will house a bar, drama 

studio, dance studio and heritage 

centre, thanks to £2.4million of 

Heritage Lottery Funding (HLF). The 

MAC Trust won the funding as part of 

its drive to create a £10m cultural 

quarter centred around the 110-yearold 

building. 

The MAC Trust has already transformed 

the Dun Cow and The Peacock into 

vibrant, busy venues. 

The next phase will be the building 

of a new £8.2m, 400-seater auditorium 

between the Dun Cow and The Fire 

Station. Earlier this year, Arts Council 

England (ACE) awarded the MAC 

Trust a grant of £6m towards the cost 

of the building, which will be 

designed by award-winning architect 

Jason Flanagan. 

SUNDERLAND DRAGON ORGANISERS… Left to right Periplum’s Damian Wright, The Fire Station Director Helen Green, Periplum’s Claire Raferty 

and Cultural Spring’s Michael Barrass inside The Fire Station 

@SunderlandVibe SunderlandVibe @SunderlandVibe 

5

Since its launch a year ago, Sunderland Restaurant Week has changed the 

city’s food scene for the better. And now it’s coming back… 

Hungering for some new places to 

try or eager to visit an old favourite? 

Get ready for the return of Sunderland 

Restaurant Week! 

The city’s favourite foodie festival is 

back with a vengeance from 9 – 17 

September, with offers galore for 

Sunderland’s best cafés, restaurants 

and bars. 

And the best news is that they are all 

offering special menus – and special 

offers - showcasing their fabulous food 

to whet the appetites of both locals 

and visitors. 

There’s no shortage of choices or places 

to visit, with the list of participants 

growing yet again. 

Old favourites such as Asiana Fusion, 

Barnett’s and Angelo’s Ristorante – who 

were all part of the city’s first restaurant 

week back in March 2016 – have signed 

up for a third time and will be turning 

the spotlight on their delicious food 

once again. 

Sunderland’s culinary scene is 

constantly growing – evident by the 

sheer variety on offer. 

Relative newcomers like Papas Tapas, 

The Chop House at the Dun Cow, 

City Bistro, Grand Didyma and the 

recently refurbished The Peacock are 

also on board, offering visitors the 

opportunity to enjoy a truly global 

eating experience. 

There’s certainly an appetite for this 

event – earlier this year more than 

11,000 vouchers were downloaded for 

restaurant visits. 

With the likelihood of more eateries 

joining this time round, there’s 

absolutely no reason not to participate 

– regardless of your foody tastes. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for 

pub grub, fine dining or to discover an 

exotic new dish, it’s the perfect excuse 

to try somewhere new or rediscover an 

old favourite. 

6 

vibemagazine.co.uk

Food lovers can simply visit www.sunderlandbid.co.uk 

browse through the list of participating restaurants 

and download your voucher. 

Booking is definitely recommended! 

Eat out for 

£5 £10 £15 

Don’t forget to book 

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Residents take a step back in time 

Gentoo residents living in Lumley, Londonderry and Lambton tower blocks have 

been learning about the history and heritage of the city’s East End. 

They have been working with artist and 

film-maker Julie Ballands on a project 

funded by the Cultural Spring, an Arts 

Council England funded initiative aimed 

at increasing the number of Wearsiders 

and South Tynesiders participating in 

arts and culture. 

Over a five week period residents 

gathered to discover how the area has 

changed over generations. They looked 

at pictures and maps of the East End, 

visited the Local Studies Centre to 

research material on the East End and 

took a walking tour around the area 

which allowed residents to see how 

different it looked compared to previous 

years. Residents also got a chance to 

take a step into the past by watching a 

video, made in the 1960s, about 

shipbuilding on the Wear. 

Brian Turner, a resident at one of the 

tower blocks said he’d enjoyed the 

sessions and learned a lot about the 

area: “Although I’ve lived here a long 

time, I was born in Whitburn so it’s been 

fascinating to find out how the area 

around the tower blocks has developed 

over the years.” 

Emma Horsman, Project Director for the 

Cultural Spring, said: “I was pleased to 

hear the residents are enjoying the 

project - Sunderland’s East End is a 

historic area and we were only too 

happy to enable some of the tower block 

residents to learn more about the area in 

which they live.” 

Lucy Malarkey, Deputy Director 

(Operations) at Gentoo said: “We are 

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residents to participate in arts and 

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11

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Sunderland Illuminations and 

Festival of Light 2017 

Sunderland Illuminations are back for 

2017, with lights spreading sparkle from 

St Peter’s Church all along the newly 

regenerated seafront. 

As well as feature lighting right along the 

seafront, the popular illuminated 

observation wheel will return to Cliffe Park 

and traditional fairground rides and 

quality catering concessions will run from 

Cliffe Park to Bede’s Cross. 

Seafront lights and activities on Cliffe Park 

and Bede’s Cross will run from Thursday, 

October 5 until Sunday, November 5, 

5pm – 10pm each day. 

Roker Park will be transformed into a 

Festival of Light, with a Disney theme. 

The Park will be open every Thursday, 

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 

October 5 to November 5 plus every night 

at half term, from 5pm – 10pm each night. 

Last entry into Roker Park will be 8.30pm. 

There will be a whole host of sparkling 

features with family favourites pirates, 

dinosaurs and fairies, magically mixing 

with new Disney additions that will 

surprise and delight. 

A new art zone will include a series of 

artist-designed light artworks. 

The park will also be home to a food court 

and bar area, helter skelter and regular 

music and entertainment performances 

on the bandstand. 

Entry into Roker Park will cost £1 per 

person, with children aged 2 and 

under free. 

Tickets can be bought online via 

www.seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk/ 

illuminations . 

A ticket office will be open on Bede’s 

Cross every Thursday – Sunday 

evening and full half term week, 

5pm – 10pm. Tickets from the ticket 

office will cost £2 each. 

Sunderland Illuminations 2017 will 

come to an end in spectacular style 

with a firework extravaganza on 

Sunday, November 5 at 6pm. Best 

viewing points will be from Cliffe Park 

and all along the seafront. There is 

no charge for this event. 


13

Life changing 

learning 

From our new Integrated Foundation Year to a 

Postgraduate programme, talk to us today about 

our learning opportunities for all. 

Postgraduate Open Day 

Open Day 

5 September 2017 14 October 2017 

2-7pm 

9.30am-4pm 

The Sciences Complex, City Campus 

Register at sunderland.ac.uk/open-days 

The Prospect Building, The Sir Tom Cowie Campus 

For further information contact the Student Helpline: 

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk 

0191 515 3000

UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND GRADUATIONS 2017 

Hats off... 

The University of Sunderland Academic 

Awards ceremonies in July proved to be 

an uplifting and emotional experience 

for the Class of 2017 graduating in the 

University’s 25th anniversary year. 

During a full week of ceremonies the 

audience celebrated the success of each 

and every graduate who crossed the 

stage at the Stadium of Light to collect 

their certificates and shake hands with 

Chancellor Steve Cram, Vice-Chancellor 

Shirley Atkinson, Chairman Paul 

Callaghan, and guest of honour, ITN 

newsreader Alastair Stewart. 

Also in attendance were some special 

guests who were presented with Honorary 

Awards. These included ‘Vera’ actress 

Brenda Blethyn and Dr Andrew Singleton 

- welcomed back to Sunderland 20 years 

after he completed his degree at the 

University. Andrew is now Chief of the 

National Laboratory of Neurogenetics in 

the USA, leading one of the world’s top 

research teams tackling Parkinson’s and 

Alzheimer’s disease. 

Each and every graduate deserves to feel 

proud, many having overcome obstacles 

and personal challenges along the way 

but each leaving the University qualified 

and equipped to progress to their chosen 

career – these graduates are the 

University’s success stories, Sunderland’s 

Tomorrow Makers… 

It’s easy to see why, 94.2% of Sunderland’s 

graduates are in work or further study 

within six months of graduating and that 

figure is even higher in specific subjects. 

Graduates are benefiting from 

exceptional teaching, a curriculum 

informed by world leading research and 

employer input, and taught by academic 

tutors with close links to industry and 

commerce. This ensures that students 

have the opportunity to succeed and 

leave the University well qualified, 

confident, and career-ready. 

The Class of 2017 certainly benefited from 

the University’s excellent teaching quality 

recognised with a silver rating award in 

the Teaching Excellence Framework 

assessment - placing it alongside other 

high performing Universities such as York, 

Warwick, Manchester, Kings College 

London and Durham. 

Over the summer the University is 

investing in its estate. Firstly in state-ofthe-art 

engineering equipment in order to 

deliver more graduates with the highlevel 

skills employers need. In addition, the 

newly opened Sunderland School of 

Nursing is already having to expand. 

Open for just a year, the School has made 

a significant contribution to the 

improvement of patient care in the region 

and Nursing at Sunderland is already 

ranked fifth in the country in the Guardian 

Good University Guide. In addition the 

new Living Lab incorporates high-fidelity 

simulation suites that replicate 

emergency scenarios and is used 

extensively by students and medical 

practitioners and is revolutionising training 

in the health care professions. 

Many students graduating at The 

Stadium of Light are from overseas and 

chose Sunderland as their place to study. 

When they return home they become 

great advocates and ambassadors for 

Sunderland. The University also hosts 

Sunderland academic awards ceremonies 

in eight countries across the globe for 

those students who study for Sunderland 

qualifications in their own country. 

The University of Sunderland is open to all 

applicants ready to develop their skills 

and improve their career progression - as 

well as undergraduate, masters and PhD 

programmes a new accessible Integrated 

Foundation Year will be open for entrants 

in September 2017. This option is an 

integral part of a four-year full honours 

degree with six subject pathways 

designed to prepare applicants for 

high-level learning. 

Anyone keen to join the growing list of 

successful Tomorrow Makers can find 

out more at www.sunderland.ac.uk/ 

help/integrated-foundation-year 


15

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private medical insurance; all you need 

is a referral from your GP and we can 

make an appointment at a time that 

suits you. 

If you don’t have private medical 

insurance but would like to enjoy all 

of the benefits that Spire Washington 

Hospital offers, we have teamed up 

with April UK to launch inSpire – an 

innovative medical insurance plan. 

For more information 

and your free 

quote, please visit 

www.april-uk.com 

or call 07540 111 139 

For more information or to make an 

appointment please contact us on 

0191 448 9513 

info@spirewashington.com 

www.spirewashington.com 

/SpireWashington 

Picktree Lane, Rickleton, Tyne and Wear, NE38 9JZ

IF IT’S 

Your essential guide to 

what’s happening in your 

city, who’s doing what, 

where and when. 

IT’S IN 

For those looking to get out of the house while the longer nights 

are drawing in, there is plenty to do in Sunderland over the 

coming months. 

For a start, there are craft sessions and workshops at Sunderland 

Museum and Winter Gardens and National Glass Centre (NGC). 

The museum is hosting a Festival of Fun between September 1st 

to the 3rd, allowing families to take part in performances and art 

workshops inspired by the museum’s amazing collections. 

And at NGC, classes and workshops include free daily glass 

blowing; a five-week course on creating tableware; an 

introduction to making ceramics and a session creating glass 

pendants and earrings. And if you’re at the Glass Centre, make 

sure you take in Chad McCail’s 100-ft drawing Liars at Earth, 

presented at NGC by the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art. 

Meanwhile, the choice of plays, musicals, tribute bands and 

recitals from which to choose is impressive. 

Sunderland Empire’s line-up over the coming months includes 

The Roy Orbison Story, The Cat Stevens Story, 

Showaddywaddy, Flashdance, Hairspray, Magic of the 

Beatles and the hilarious Spamalot. There’s also the ultimate 

feel-good musical Mamma Mia, but perhaps the biggest show 

coming is the return of Dave Stewart, one of Sunderland’s 

favourite sons. Dave will be celebrating his 65th birthday at the 

iconic venue on September 10. 

Both Arts Centre Washington and The Peacock are hosting new 

plays. She Wins All the Races is a new play set in the 1970s and 

will be performed at Arts Centre Washington in mid-October. 

The venue will also host a new double bill based on Sunderland 

AFC. Wise Men Say and Cornered will also be performed at 

The Peacock. 

If it’s more established drama you’re after, look no further than 

The Royalty Theatre, where Agatha Christie’s And Then There 

Were None is being staged. Dennis Potter’s Blue Remembered 

Hills will also be at The Royalty in late October. 

Classical music lovers can look forward to two events in particular 

– Sunderland Pianoforte Society’s recital at the Museum and 

Winter Gardens, featuring Sarah Beth Briggs, and Sunderland 

Symphony Orchestra’s Autumn Concert at West Park Church. 

And finally, there’ll be all the fun of the fair at Houghton Feast, 

which will see ten days of fairground rides, parades, church 

events, exhibitions, community events, talks, tours and fireworks. 

This year’s Feast will start on October 6. 

So you can see, there are plenty of reasons for you not to hibernate! 

See our 

listings for 

more dates, 

times and 

more 

information 

about all of 

the above. 

Dave Stewart 

NEW DRAMA ... She Wins All the Races at Arts Centre Washington 


17

IF IT’S 

IT’S IN 

Your guide to what’s 

September 

Daily Free Glass Blowing Demonstrations at National Glass 

Centre - Experience the heat of the 1000 degree furnace and 

watch an expert glass making team craft stunning pieces before 

your eyes - www.nationalglasscentre.com - 0191 515 5555 

Tues & Thurs Army Cadets in Houghton-le-Spring (6.45pm- 

9pm) - For young people aged 12 - 18 - www.armycadets.com 

Thurs Late Night Shopping at the Bridges - 

open until 8pm - With free parking from 5.30pm - 9pm you can 

shop even longer on Thursdays at the Bridges - 

www.thebridges-shopping.com 

Fri 1 My Wild Sunderland at Rainton Meadows Nature 

Reserve (11am-3pm) - Make your own hedgehog, take part in 

the wild Autumn challenge and cook up a special bird cake to 

take home as a treat for your feathered garden visitors - Free - 

www.durhamwt.com/events 

Fri 1 - 3 Festival of Fun at Sunderland Museum & Winter 

Gardens - Creative performances, art workshops and Arts 

Awards for families inspired by the Museum’s amazing 

collections - museumlearning@sunderland.gov.uk - 

0191 561 2323 

Fri 1 - 3 Dusty’s Wildlife Rangers at Washington Wetland 

Centre - Take part in six fun activities and explore the wetlands 

while learning essential ranger skills such as spotting and 

surveying - www.wwt.org.uk 

Fri 1 - 23 Paul Foster: Local Landscapes at Arts Centre 

Washington - Local artist Paul Foster has lived in Washington 

for 25 years, its landscapes have inspired the work currently on 

show at the centre - Free - 

www.artscentrewashington.co.uk - 0191 561 3455 

Fri 1 - 21 The Royal Photographic Society Exhibition at Arts 

Centre Washington - Members worldwide were invited to 

submit their images to an open call competition resulting in an 

exhibition celebrating the diversity of the entries - Free - 


Fri 1 - Oct 8 Chad McCail: Liars of Earth at NGCA, National 

Glass Centre NGCA presents the national premiere of Chad 

McCail’s near 100-foot long drawing ‘Liars of Earth’. McCail’s 

parable has a political twist in the tale, presenting a world in 

which ordinary people are able to overturn the malign rule of 

monstrous giants - Free - www.ngca.co.uk 

Sat 2 Art and Craft Fair at Arts Centre Washington - 

A variety of stalls selling products created by local and regional 

artists and crafts people - Free - 


Sat 2 Craft Fair at Sunderland Minster - Includes local crafts, 

hand-made gifts, cakes, vintage and retro goods - 50p - 

www.sunderlandminster.com 

Sat 2 Barry Steele & Friends: The Roy Orbison Story at 

Sunderland Empire (7.30pm) - Barry Steele takes you on this 

specially produced musical journey in time as he celebrates his 

own personal ten-year anniversary on tour - from £25.75 plus 

£2.85 transaction fee - www.atgtickets.com/sunderland 

Sat 2 Glass Tableware 5-week course at National Glass 

Centre - Students will learn the basic skills of Fusing, Slumping 

and Casting glass along with kiln firing techniques. There will be 

several groups for this course, with different start dates. Booking 

is essential - £125 - www.nationalglasscentre.co.uk 

Mon 4 Peace Train: The Cat Stevens Story at Sunderland 

Empire (7.30pm) - In an evening of musical storytelling 

featuring a full live band, audiences will be treated to a full 

concert of Cat Stevens’ hits - from £32.15 - 

www.atgtickets.com/sunderland 

Mon 4 - 28 Art Exhibition at Sunderland Minster - 


Tues 5 Red House Craft Group at St Cuthbert’s Church 

(10am-12pm) - An informal and friendly craft group - £2.50 - 

booking@theculturalspring.org.uk - 0191 427 8197 

Tues 5 Variety, The Children’s Charity Concert at Sunderland 

Empire (7.30pm) - A special charity concert featuring the 

internationally acclaimed G4 and the Inspiration Choir from the 

Sage Gateshead, hosted by local comedian Bobby Pattinson - 

from £28.90 plus £2.85 transaction fee - 


18 

vibemagazine.co.uk

on in Sunderland 

September 

Wed 6 Roy Chubby Brown at Sunderland Empire 

(7.30pm) - Roy Chubby Brown returns with his meatiest show 

yet! - from £24.40 - 


Thurs 7 Showaddywaddy at Sunderland Empire (7.30pm) - 

Come and join the Dancing Party… You’ve Got What It Takes! 

with ‘The Greatest Rock & Roll Band In The World’ - from £24 - 


Fri 8 The Dreamboys at Sunderland Empire (7.30pm) - 

The Dreamboys are back and hotter than ever with a brand 

new show- from £21 - 


Sat 9 Anti-System / Andy T / Prolefeed at Pop Recs (7pm) - 

Celebrating 35 years of the Bunker Collective’s first gig. Part of a 

weekend of events including films, talks and live performance - 

www.facebook.com 

Sat 9 Blackmore’s Blood at Arts Centre Washington (7.30pm) - 

A tribute to the magic of Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple 

to Rainbow - £10 - 


Sat 9 1 Day Introduction to Ceramics - Throwing Techniques 

(10am-4pm) - A chance to learn basic wheel based ceramic 

skills and practice throughout the day - £60 - 

www.nationalglasscentre.com 

Sun 10 Dave Stewart at Sunderland Empire (7.30pm) - The 

legendary co-founder of Eurythmics Dave Stewart is coming 

home in a live concert celebrating his 65th birthday! With 

support from Social Room, Lilliput and Picnic – from £31.25 – 


Mon 11 - 17 Flashdance - The Musical at Sunderland Empire - 

Based on the Paramount Pictures film, this is an inspiring 

musical about the power of holding onto your dreams and love 

against all the odds - from £17.90 with £2.85 transaction fee - 


Sat 16 FOSUMS: Wildlife in your garden at Sunderland 

Museum & Winter Gardens (2pm) - Learn how to encourage a 

range of wildlife into the garden - £2 for visitors 

Sat 16 Small Worlds at Arts Centre Washington (various times) - 

An unforgettable piece of visual theatre - a unique integration 

of puppetry, miniature landscapes, original animated film and 

music - £6.50 - www.artscentrewashington.co.uk -0191 561 3455 

Thurs 14 Wise Men Say/Cornered at Arts Centre Washington 

(7.30pm) - After the huge success of I Left My Heart In Roker 

Park in 2014, Cranked Anvil are back with a brand new double 

bill of one-act plays based around the mighty Sunderland AFC! - 

www.crankedanvil.co.uk 

Mon 18 - 23 And Then There Were None at Royalty Theatre - 

(7.30pm) based on the Agatha Christie novel - £8 

www.royaltytheatre.co.uk 

Mon 18 Coffee Morning at Rainton Meadows Nature 

Reserve (10.30am) - Grab a cuppa and a cake, take part in the 

fundraising activities and browse the new line of shop items - £4 - 


Tue 19 Sunderland Pianoforte Society Recital at Sunderland 

Museum and Winter Gardens (7.30pm) - NE born pianist 

Sarah Beth Briggs is a leading recitalist, and joint winner of the 

International Mozart Competition in Salzburg - £12.50 - 

www.sunderlandpianofortesociety.org - 0191 252 5396 

Tue 19 - 23 Son of a Preacher Man at Sunderland Empire - 

Three broken hearts, one Soho hang-out, and the only man 

who could ever help them - from £15 - 


Tues 19 Coasts at Independent (7pm) - To celebrate the 

release of ‘This Life’, Coasts are on their biggest ever UK tour - 

www.musicglue.com - info@independentsunderland.com 

Fri 22 Wise Men Say/Cornered at The Peacock (7.30pm) - 

See description above - 

Fri 22 Cal Halbert - Mimic Impossible at Arts Centre 

Washington (7.30pm) - A show filled with voices, stand up and 

a musical number or two... OK maybe three - £6 - 


Sat 23 - Feb 25 Port 300 at Sunderland Museum & 

Winter Gardens - Celebrating 300 years of the River Wear 

Commissioners and Port of Sunderland – Free – 

www.seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk 


19

IF IT’S 

IT’S IN 


September 

Sats 23 - Oct 21 Introducing… Ceramics - 5 week course - 

Students will learn a range of decorating and construction 

techniques from practical demonstrations. Booking is essential - 

£140 - www.nationalglasscentre.com 

Sun 24 Say Goodbye Service at Sunderland Minster (3pm) - 

Join with others and remember babies that have been lost - 

Free - www.sayinggoodbye.org 

Sun 24 Sunderland Pride 2017 in Park Lane (12pm) - 

www.facebook.com/sunderlandpridegroup 

Sun 24 Introducing Fused Glass at National Glass Centre 

(10am-4pm) - Design and make your own decorative glass 

pieces using this kiln glass technique. Booking is essential - £80 - 


Mon 25 - 30 Hairspray at Sunderland Empire - Featuring the 

hit songs Welcome To The 60s, You Can’t Stop The Beat, The 

Nicest Kids in Town and many more - from £16.25 plus £2.85 

transaction fee - www.atgtickets.com/sunderland 

Fri 29 Pre-hospital cardiac arrest: exploring the evidence at 

University of Sunderland (6pm-8pm) - Explore pre-hospital 

cardiac arrests, pit stop approach and case study presentation - 

Free - www.sunderland.ac.uk 

Fri 29 The Jar Family at Arts Centre Washington (7.30pm) - 

Hartlepool based The Jar Family are five individual songwriters 

and musicians, who joined forces to pool their talent and 

create their ‘industrial folk’ sound - £10 - 


Sat 30 Funny Stuff for Happy People at Arts Centre 

Washington (2pm) - An hour of comedy, circus, storytelling, 

poetry and stupid science - £6.50 - 


Sat 30 - Oct 1 Sculptural Flameworking Weekend at 

National Glass Centre (10am-4pm) - Two days of creating 

works of art using flame-working. Booking essential - £130 - 


October 

Sun 1 - 31 Nauseating Nature Trail at Washington Wetland 

Centre - Discover gruesomely ghoulish facts about the creepily 

wonderful wetlands during October. Pick up a leaflet from the 

shop and unearth the nauseating side of nature - 

www.wwt.org.uk 

Mon 2 The Bridges Student Raid (6.30pm til late) – 

Students! The Bridges Student Raid returns for one exclusive 

evening of shopping discounts, freebies and entertainment - 

www.thebridges-shopping.co.uk 

Tues 3 Tap Factory at Sunderland Empire (7.30pm) - A fun, 

rhythm-based theatre show showcasing urban tap dance and 

percussion, comedy and acrobatics - from £19.15 plus £2.85 

transaction fee - www.atgtickets.com/sunderland 

Tues 3 Joanne Forest: Stars Are Rising The Live Tour at 

Royalty Theatre (7.45pm) - She will be performing the album 

and many other popular classical and musical hits in an 

evening not to be missed accompanied by a local choir and 

some surprise familiar faces - from £10 - 


Wed 4 Sunderland Stages: Rattle Snake at Royalty Theatre - 

www.sunderlandstages.co.uk 

Thurs 5 A Vision of Elvis at Sunderland Empire (7.30pm) - 

An uplifting and authentic Elvis experience - from £26.50 plus 


Fri 6 Magic of the Beatles at Sunderland Empire (7.30pm) - 

Fantastic costumes, brilliant vocals and incredible musicianship 

come together in a lavish magical musical trip back to 

yesterday - from £25.50 plus £2.85 transaction fee - 


Fri 6 - 15 Houghton Feast 2017 - Houghton Feast is a 10 day 

festival and features a fairground, traditional ox roasting, 

church events, carnival parade, a tattoo with pipes and drums, 

shows, community events, exhibitions, talks and tours, and 

fireworks! The Feast is an ancient festival held every October 

in Houghton-le-Spring, near Durham and Sunderland. The 

festival dates back to the 12th century when it originated as 

Michaelmas, the dedication service of the parish church of 

St Michael & All Angels - www.houghtonfeast.co.uk - 

info@houghtonlespring.org.uk 

20 

vibemagazine.co.uk


October 

Fri 6 - Nov 4 It’s a Dog’s Life at Arts Centre Washington - 

Poppy Middlemas explores the concept of dogs being Icons for 

their owners and vice versa - Free - 

www.artcentrewashington.co.uk - 0191 561 3455 

Sat 7 Motown’s Greatest Hits: How Sweet It Is at Sunderland 

Empire (7.30pm) - This stunning 100% live show combines first 

class music together with the slickest choreography, and an 

amazing band - from £23.90 plus £2.85 transaction fee - 


Sat 7 Art and Craft Fair at Arts Centre Washington - A variety 

of stalls selling products created by local and regional artists 

and crafts people - Free - 


Sat 7 Flameworked Glass Insects at National Glass Centre 

(10am-4pm) - 





Sat 7 Billy Mitchell at Arts Centre Washington (7.30pm) - 

The Davy Lamp Folk club present Billy Mitchell - 


Sat 7 Flameworked Glass Insects at National Glass Centre 

(10am-4pm) - Make a dragonfly out of borosilicate glass, to 

then join all sections together. Booking is essential - £80 - 


Sun 8 Zip Wear 2017 from Stadium of Light - Zip line from 

the roof of the Stadium and feel the adrenaline rush across 

the River Wear and raise funds for Foundation of Light - £20 

registration fee - www.foundationoflight.co.uk 

Tue 10 - 14 Spamalot at Sunderland Empire - Spamalot is a 

riotous comedy full of misfit knights, killer rabbits, dancing nuns 

and ferocious Frenchmen - from £21.40 plus £2.85 transaction 

fee - www.atgtickets.com/sunderland 

Thurs 12 Life by the Throat at Arts Centre Washington 

(7.30pm) - Life-long thief James Joseph Patrick Keogh is a 

force to be reckoned with. This is the story of his extraordinary 

journey, from the womb to the tomb - written and performed 

by a woman - £8.50 - 


Sat 14 FOSUMS: More the work of Art than Nature (2pm) - 

Celebrate the River Wear Commissioners, which marks its three 

hundredth anniversary this year. 

Sat 14 Roxy Musique at Arts Centre Washington (7.30pm) - 

A tribute to one of the “most influential bands of all time” - £8 - 


Sat 14 Sunderland Symphony Orchestra Autumn Concert at 

West Park Church (7.30pm) - £8 - 

www.sunderlandsymphonyorchestra.org.uk 

Sun 15 Sunderland Theatre Organ Preservation 

Society Concert (2pm) - Performance by Damon Willets - 

ryhopecomptonorgan@gmail.com 

Mon 16 – Nov 4 Library Literature Festival - Events take place 

across a range of venues and have something for everyone 

from children and families to students and academics and 

creates a platform for local and aspiring talent alongside 

established authors, writers and illustrators - 

www.sunderland.gov.uk/libraries 

Tues 17 - Nov 11 Mamma Mia at Sunderland Empire - Join the 

ultimate feel-good party at MAMMA MIA! the world’s sunniest 

and most exhilarating smash-hit musical! - from £17.50 plus 


Thurs 19 She Wins all the Races at Arts Centre Washington 

(7.30pm) - Set in the 1970s this brand new show is about an 

intelligent, happy little girl Belinda, who loves life, her two 

brothers and stealing The Priest’s biscuits with her best friend 

Angela - £8.50 - www.artcentrewashington.co.uk - 

0191 561 3455 

Sat 21 Flameworked Glass Pendants and Earrings at 

National Glass Centre (10am-4pm) - Explore making 

pendants and earrings, booking essential - £80 - 



21

IF IT’S 

IT’S IN 



October 

Sat 21 The Suggestibles at Arts Centre Washington (8pm) - 

Newcastle’s award-winning six-piece comedy troupe - £10 - 


Sun 22 Flameworked Glass Beads at National Glass Centre 

(1pm-4pm) - £40 - www.nationalglasscentre.com 

Tues 24 Sunderland Pianoforte Society Recital at 

Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens (7.15pm) - Award 

winning Pianist Dinara Klinton - £12.50 - 

www.sunderlandpianofortesociety.org - 0191 252 5396 

Thurs 26 My Wild Sunderland at Roker Park (11am - 3pm) - 

Make your own wildlife kite to fly in the park, discover how you 

can help protect our wildlife this winter - Free - 


Sat 28 Dogs Don’t Do Ballet at Arts Centre Washington 

(11am & 2pm) - This happy, funny tale will have you laughing 

out loud and dancing in the aisles - £7 - 


Sat 28 My Wild Sunderland at Mowbray Park (11am-3pm) - 

Bring along an empty plastic bottle and recycle it into a bug 

home for your garden. Design your own garden bird and help 

protect the wildlife in Sunderland’s parks and green spaces - 

Free - www.durhamwt.com/events 

Sat 28 - 29 University of Sunderland Paramedic conference at 

City Campus - A two-day event celebrating the advancements 

in pre-hospital care and exploring what’s next in critical care and 

point of care testing- Free -www.sunderland.ac.uk 

Sun 29 - 31 Nature Fright Nights at Washington Wetland 

Centre (5pm-7pm) - See nocturnal nature at its spookiest. Enjoy 

bat detecting, potion making and a night-time stroll before 

spooky stories and a tasty Halloween treat. Suitable for ages 

4+ - £8 - www.wwt.org.uk - 0191 416 5454 

Sun 29 Craft Fair at The Barnes, Toby Carvery (11am-3pm) - 

Including a whole host of activities; arts, crafts, food, 

jewellery and many more -www.facebook.com/aspireeventsne 

Sun 29 Little Crafty Monsters at Katie’s Garden (11am 

1.30pm) - Reserve your table for a crafty Halloween inspired 

session - £16 - www.katiesgardenuk.com - 07519 824422 

Mon 30 - Nov 4 Blue Remembered Hills at Royalty Theatre - 

based on the television play by Dennis Potter - 


November 

Thurs 2 Sunderland Stages: Stupid at Arts Centre 

Washington (7.30pm) - Stupid tells the journey of one woman’s 

attempt to find a formula that will fix her world. Expect 

humour, spoken word, colourful projection, live drawing and 

some light bulb moments of clarity - £8.50 - 


Sat 4 Anthony Clarke & Dave Pegg at Arts Centre 

Washington (7.30pm) - Two consummate entertainers unite for 

an evening of outstanding song and music - £8 - 


Sat 4 The Dream Factory at Arts Centre Washington (various 

times) - With breath-taking puppetry, enchanting storytelling 

and an exquisite musical score, join and immerse yourselves in 

the dream world - £6.50 - 


Sat 4 Art and Craft Fair at Arts Centre Washington - 

A variety of stalls selling products created by local and regional 

artists and crafts people - Free - 





Sun 5 Flameworked Glass Beads at National Glass Centre 

(1pm-4pm) - £40 - www.nationalglasscentre.com 

Thurs 9 Jane Eyre: An Autobiography at Arts Centre 

Washington (7.30pm) - Told through Jane’s eyes, English 

literature’s most celebrated autobiographical novel and 

Charlotte Brontë’s gothic subversion of fairy-tale romance is 

now distilled for the stage - £10 - 


22 

vibemagazine.co.uk

Arts Centre Washington’s Autumn season 

has a superb selection of shows for all 

including dancing dogs, fire breathing 

dancers, tiny worlds and ghastly ghost 

stories 

Some of the highlights of the theatre 

programme: 

• Cornered/Wise Men Say are two, 

one act, Sunderland AFC themed 

plays. Cornered is penned by Look 

North’s Jeff Brown and tells the 

true story of Dave Corner and his 

cup final nightmare. 

• Jane Eyre: An Autobiography is 

told through Jane’s eyes, English 

literature’s most celebrated 

autobiographical novel shocked 

the Victorians, and Charlotte 

Brontë’s gothic subversion of 

fairy-tale romance is now distilled 

for the stage. 

As ever the centre has a fantastic 

programme of theatre for children and 

families, including Small Worlds, an 

extraordinary fusion of digital animation 

and traditional puppetry for children 

aged 5 – 11 and Dogs Don’t Do Ballet, a 

new stage adaptation of the popular 

children’s book. 

Live music is also in plentiful supply with 

The Jar Family whose knock out rootsy 

folk rock, has choruses as big as the room, 

and with all the passion of The Pogues. 

Roxy Musique pay tribute to 

Washington’s own son Bryan Ferry and 

Blackmore’s Blood replicate the 

awesome talent and sound of the former 

Deep Purple and Rainbow lead guitarist. 

The arts centre is very proud to be home 

to the award winning Davy Lamp Folk Club. 

For a night with a difference try Glow and 

enter a stunning world of light, dance, 

performance and projection and if it’s 

laughs you’re after, don’t miss Newcastle 

Improv legends The Suggestibles, 

cult Tyneside comedian Gavin Webster 

and Britain’s Got Talent Impressionist 

Cal Halbert. 

Meanwhile, the centre has a vast array of 

classes and courses for all ages and 

abilities. 

This year’s Christmas show will be ‘Lilly 

and the Little Snow Bear’ a funny festive 

adventure suitable for children aged 3 +. 

Combine that with Christmas Craft Fairs, 

a Suggetible’s Improv panto, Christmas 

Cabaret, a night of Christmas ghost 

stories, sing-a-long Muppets Christmas 

Carol and a Monster New Year’s Eve Bash, 

this could be the best Christmas ever. 

For more information on all Arts Centre 

Washington events visit 

www.artscentrewashington.co.uk or call 

0191 561 3455. 

The Cultural Spring’s Go and See programme aims to ensure people living across Sunderland and South Tyneside 

get the chance to experience arts and cultural events happening across the North East and beyond. 

Here are some of our current offers for Autumn 2017. 

The Festival of Thrift 

Saturday 23rd September 

Join our annual bus trip to the Festival of 

Thrift and take part in fun workshops, visit 

the stalls and enjoy amazing food as you 

soak up the atmosphere at this 

celebration of sustainable living. This free 

festival is family friendly and takes place 

at Kirkleatham Museum in Redcar. 

Price £3 per person 

Pick up points 

The buses will depart from The 

Customs House in South Shields at 

10am and then pick up from the 

University of Sunderland’s City Campus 

at 10:30am. 

To reserve your place on either bus 

please call 0191 427 8197 or email 

booking@theculturalspring.org.uk 

Photographic Credit: Tracy Kidd 

courtesy Festival of Thrift 

Do Not Enter the Monster Zoo 

Saturday 21st October 

Come along and experience a family 

friendly theatre production of popular 

children’s book ‘Do Not Enter The Monster 

Zoo’ at Back on the Map and St. Oswald’s 

Communicare in Sunderland. Perfect for 

families with children under 7. Each 

performance lasts approximately 1 hour. 


10am at Back on the Map, 67 Toward 

Rd, Sunderland SR2 8JG 

£3 per person or £10 for a family of four, 

payable on the door. 


2pm at St. Oswald’s Communicare, 

Gladwyn Rd, Sunderland SR4 9QY 

£3 per person or £10 for a family of four, 

payable on the door. 

Contact 0191 427 8197 

for more information. 

Hepworth Gallery 

& Yorkshire Sculpture Park 

Saturday 30th September 

Travel to the Hepworth Gallery in Yorkshire 

and experience the famous artwork, 

exhibitions and more. You’ll also get 

creative during family workshops and visit 

the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, close by to 

the Hepworth Gallery to take a look at the 

incredible life size sculptures. 

Price £3 per person 

Pick up points 

The buses will depart from The 

Customs House in South Shields at 9am 

and then pick up from the University of 

Sunderland’s City Campus at 9:30am. 

To reserve your place on either bus 

please call 0191 427 8197 or email 

booking@theculturalspring.org.uk 

Elisabeth Frink, 

In Memoriam II, 1981. 

Courtesy the artist 

and YSP. 

Photo © Jonty Wilde 


23

Photo courtesy of the Sunderland Echo 

City ambassadors 

to mak’em smile 

Sunderland Ambassadors to give visitors a warm welcome with a smile. 

Mak’em Smile is a new initiative created 

by the city’s Business Improvement District 

(BID) which will see staff from various 

service industries being recruited and 

trained as ambassadors to ensure visitors 

get a friendly reception. 

Staff from a variety of businesses 

including the city’s pubs, shops, 

restaurants, taxis and hotels will be given 

the opportunity to take part in a training 

course where they will be given 

information about how to get the best out 

of the city, covering things like where to 

eat, things to do, events and local history. 

Sunderland BID developed the training in 

the hope that it will see the city being 

viewed not only as being filled with 

positive people but showing it as 

somewhere with plenty to offer. 

Gemma Dishman, the BID’s 

Communications and Marketing 

Manager, said: “At a time when so 

much investment is taking place and 

with events that will put us on a national 

and international stage, we need to 

ensure that everyone who comes to 

Sunderland receives a warm welcome,” 

Gemma said. 

“Our ambassadors will be armed with the 

most up to date information about what 

is happening in the city, and will be able to 

use this to promote Sunderland and its 

businesses. 

“The training sessions are free so 

businesses will be able to reap the benefit 

of having knowledgeable staff who can 

showcase what the city has to offer.” 

The sessions are being run by sales 

training experts, New Results, based at 

the e-volve centre, Rainton Bridge. 

Any city centre business interested 

in signing up for future sessions 

should contact Gemma at 

gemma.dishman@sunderlandbid.co.uk 

MAK’EM SMILE 

24 

vibemagazine.co.uk

Have your say and help 

shape the city’s future 

We want you to have your say on plans 

aimed at ensuring a prosperous longterm 

future for Sunderland. 

From August 7 to October 2 2017 

Sunderland City Council is consulting on 

the first draft of the Core Strategy and 

Development Plan. 

The draft Core Strategy and Development 

Plan is a framework to deliver the jobs, 

business growth, transport links and 

housing Sunderland needs to thrive by 

2033. 

It also targets challenges such as 

deprivation and rising obesity within the 

city, as well as factoring in leisure and 

retail requirements and environmental 

concerns. 

The Plan, a requirement for all local 

authorities, is based on extensive research 

by Sunderland City Council into every 

aspect of the city’s future needs. 

Considerations included the number of 

new homes needed by 2033 and the 

amount of land required for employment, 

retail, leisure and housing. The best 

locations for development and future 

infrastructure requirements were also 

analysed. 

The Core Strategy and Development Plan 

is a draft only, this is why it is important 

that communities have their say before 

the final version is prepared. Once a final 

version is approved, the Plan will play a 

pivotal role in shaping Sunderland’s future. 

You will have a chance to give the council 

your views during the public consultation 

starting on August 7 and running until 

October 2. You can give your views online 

at sunderland-consult.limehouse.co.uk/ 

portal or drop in to one of a series of 

events taking place throughout 

September. 

The Plan aims to: 

l Deliver the estimated 13,800 

new homes needed in Sunderland 

by 2033, while minimising the 

impact on Green Belt land. 

l Identify 15 sites in the Green Belt 

for potential expansion of our 

communities. 

l Meet our travelling community’s 

needs and identify 3 potential Gypsy 

and Traveller sites and 2 sites for 

Travelling Showpeople. 

l Provide at least 95 hectares of land 

on which jobs are created and 

supported. This is in addition to the 

International Advanced 

Manufacturing Park (IAMP) being 

developed between Sunderland 

and South Tyneside, which will bring 

5,200 new jobs and 

£300m of investment. 

l Direct retail and office 

developments to the city centre, 

while ensuring smaller centres 

remain healthy and sustainable. 

l Protect the environment and 

address the impact of climate 

change. It focuses on developing 

Sunderland as an attractive and 

sustainable place to live, with an 

emphasis on quality of life, 

community wellbeing and local 

character. 

l Improve transport links and make 

them more sustainable. The Plan 

seeks to ensure centres, workplaces 

and key facilities like schools and 

hospitals are easily accessible via 

sustainable modes of transport. 

l Tackle the city’s health challenges 

by restricting the number of hot 

food takeaways within centres. 

l Deliver the infrastructure needed to 

support growth. 

The Draft Core Strategy and Development Plan can be found at 

www.sunderland.gov.uk/CSDP together with details of planned drop in events 

throughout September. 


25

There is something incredible happening 

across the entire cultural and arts scene 

in Sunderland at the moment. 

The bid for City of Culture 2021, increased 

development in and around the city 

centre, even the hosting of an 

international film festival… the city is 

establishing itself as a burgeoning hub for 

creatives, musicians, artists, poets and 

writers. It is a city embracing its culture, 

created by Sunderland’s characters, 

idiosyncrasies and uniqueness, something 

that is more than evident at Sunderland 

College’s Arts Academy. 

The college ignites the creativity of 

students from across the region, and 

introduces them to the city’s vibrant 

cultural scene. 

Ellen Thinnesen, Principal of Sunderland 

College, said: “As well as successfully 

delivering traditional academic courses, 

Sunderland College aims to stimulate the 

creativity of our students and provide 

them with an opportunity to follow their 

own technical pathway into the fields of 

arts, dance, creativity, and music. 

“There is a constant buzz and energy in 

the Arts Academy, which is always a hive 

of activity. Our aim is to harness that 

dynamism and help our learners turn it 

into a successful career.” 

Sunderland College’s 

The college offers an array of A-Level 

courses, including: Dance and Theatre 

Studies, Film Studies, Fine Art, Graphics, 

Music and Photography. As well as a 

multitude of technical courses, such as: Arts 

and Design, a Creative and Media 

Diploma, Creative Media Production, 

Fashion and Clothing, and Performing Arts. 

“Students reach their full potential within 

the Arts Academy, which has all of the 

facilities and equipment to enable future 

Billy Elliot’s to flourish,” said Ellen. 

“With dance, drama and music studios, 

industry standard recording facilities, 

photography workspace and dark 

room, and a film screening room, each 

student is able to learn, practice, and 

improve on their individual skill set.” 

The Arts Academy also live streams 

rehearsals, performances and shows, 

providing insight into life at the college, 

and showcasing the facilities available 

to the students. 

Former student, Michael Brown is one of 

many talented college graduates. After 

studying Extended Diploma in Dance and 

an A-Level in Drama and Theatre Studies, 

Michael made the leap to the prestigious 

Laine Theatre Arts international dance 

and drama training school. 

He said: “The college pushed me in the 

right direction and allowed me to get to 

where I wanted to be. It’s hard work, but 

it’s worth it, and I’m grateful for my 

experience at Sunderland College.” 

To further enhance the student 

experience, Sunderland College has also 

formed partnerships across the city to 

help cultural events to flourish. 

Ellen said: “We work closely with the 

Cultural Spring, an exciting project to 

enable more people in Sunderland and 

South Tyneside to get involved in the arts 

scene. 

“Thanks to this partnership, students 

participated in “Rush” - a six-month 

project on mass action, teaching learners 

26 

vibemagazine.co.uk

state of the Arts Academy… 

how arts and culture provides an 

alternative to violent protest.” 

Emma Kernohan, Associate Leader for the 

college’s Foundation in Dance, said: “Rush 

was the perfect opportunity for our 

students to gain valuable experience by 

being involved in a large-scale, 

professional performance. The whole 

project was incredible.” 

The college also supported the 10x10 

project with Sunderland Cultural 

Partnership, providing an opportunity for 

local artists to learn and also share skills 

with students. 

With a growing involvement in cultural 

events throughout the city, and an 

incredible variety of courses to offer 

students of all levels of skill and 

experience, the college remains a 

committed ambassador to Sunderland 

arts and culture. 

For more information about performing arts courses at Sunderland College’s multi-million pound Arts Academy, 

call 0191 511 6000, email info@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk, or check online at sunderlandcollege.ac.uk. 

Taste the future of 

fine dining, today. 

Mouthwatering cuisine at City Bistro. 

12-3pm weekdays and 5:30-8pm 

Thursdays and Fridays 

City Campus, Park Lane, Sunderland 

citybistroSC 

@_CityBistro 

citycampus.site/bistro 


27

Genfactor stars take 

the stage at Sunniside Live 

North East indie-pop band and Genfactor 

2016 winners Saturn Highway wowed 

crowds at this year’s Sunniside Live 

Festival, sharing the stage with platinum 

selling artists the Happy Mondays and 

The Farm. 

Members of Saturn Highway, who 

originally met whilst auditioning for 

Genfactor 2015 separately, decided to 

come together and create a four piece 

band. They then went on to win the 

competition in 2016 after impressing the 

judges with their astounding rendition of 

Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’ in front of an 

impressive 1,000 strong crowd. 

Genfactor is a talent competition 

organised by housing association, Gentoo, 

which works to promote young and 

upcoming talent in Sunderland. The 

event provides the opportunity for the 

contestants to showcase their talents, 

learn new skills, build confidence and 

meet new friends. 

Now in its ninth year, the competition has 

provided a springboard for a number of 

contestants to go on and perform at 

events throughout the city and raise 

money for a number of charities. 

Earlier this year, Genfactor 2016 finalists 

shared the stage with JLS singer Aston 

Merrygold at Sun FM’s 20th Birthday 

Bash. Singer and guitarist Tom ‘Mouse’ 

Smith, who won second place in the 

competition, performed at the event 

alongside finalists Leonie Taylor and Lewis 

Conlin. Other contestants have also 

performed at Sunderland’s Young 

Achievers’ Awards, Sunderland’s 

International Airshow, Bowes Railway 

Museum and a number of local festivals. 

For further information 

about the Genfactor visit 

gentoogroup.com 

or to see all the talent from 

last year’s final search 

‘Genfactor’ on YouTube. 

Gentoo Group Limited is a charitable community benefit society, registration number 7302. 

John Craggs, Chief Executive Officer, 

Gentoo said: “We are very proud of our Genfactor 

finalists and how much they have achieved since taking 

part in the competition. They have grown in confidence 

and showcased their talents at some of the most high 

profile events in Sunderland and across the North East. 

“Sunderland is full of young, talented and creative 

people and at Gentoo, we believe in inspiring them to 

realise their full potential. I would encourage anyone 

with a passion for performing arts to get involved in the 

Genfactor as it provides an excellent platform for rising 

stars to be recognised and it’s also really good fun!” 

28 

vibemagazine.co.uk

Terrific ten to start their career in Sunderland 

Since achieving 

my qualification 

I have secured 

employment with 

Gentoo doing a 

job that I love. 

I would recommend 

anyone who is 

considering doing 

an apprenticeship 

to do one with 

Gentoo. 

Anna Redman alongside Ian Self (Gentoo’s Chairman) with her Chartered Institute of Housing North East Award. 

Ten new apprentices are to start their 

new career at Gentoo in September. 

Gentoo has developed the 

apprenticeships through its partnerships 

with Sunderland College and New College 

Durham, where the apprentices will study 

towards a qualification in their chosen 

career. This includes finance, sales and 

marketing, administration and 

construction site management. 

Gentoo has a strong track record of 

developing talent and creating learning 

opportunities for people in the North East 

and since 2001, has employed more than 

240 apprentices. 

Louise Bassett, Executive Director 

(Corporate Services) said: “This is all part 

of ensuring we have the right people with 

the right skills to deliver an outstanding 

level of service to our customers. We are 

delighted that ten new apprentices will 

be starting their career at Gentoo. Last 

year we took on 20 apprentices who are 

not only making a real difference in the 

workplace, but have received external 

recognition for their dedication and hard 

work. We are so proud of their 

achievements and the difference they 

have made.” 

Former Business Administration 

apprentice at Gentoo, Anna Redman was 

Steven Watson at Sunderland College’s 

Apprenticeship Awards with his Construction 

Apprentice of the Year award. 

named Apprentice of the Year at this 

year’s Young Achievers’ Awards in 

Sunderland and at the Chartered Institute 

of Housing North East Awards. 

Anna said: “Through my apprenticeship 

with Gentoo I have developed a number 

Gentoo Group Limited is a charitable community benefit society, registration number 7302. 

of skills. Since achieving my qualification I 

have secured employment with Gentoo 

doing a job that I love. I would 

recommend anyone who is considering 

doing an apprenticeship to do one with 

Gentoo. The level of support that I’ve 

received has been amazing and I’ve had 

so many opportunities to learn and 

develop.” 

Bricklaying Apprentice at Gentoo, Steven 

Watson, was also recognised for his 

achievements at Sunderland College’s 

inaugural Apprenticeship Awards, taking 

home the award for Construction 

Apprentice of the Year. 

He said: “My apprenticeship with Gentoo 

has given me a great opportunity to learn 

a trade while earning a wage at the same 

time. I’ve benefitted from all of the skills 

and training I’ve received and would 

definitely recommend an apprenticeship 

to anyone.” 

For further information about careers at 

Gentoo visit www.gentoopeople.com 


29

LGBT FESTIVAL BURSTING 

WITH COMMUNITY SPIRIT 

Sunderland Pride 

Park Lane 

Shopping Village 

Sunday 24 

September 

Get ready to paint the streets 

with a rainbow as the seventh 

annual Sunderland Pride 

celebration returns to the city. 

It’s almost time for the return of Wearside’s 

leading LGBT celebration as Sunderland 

Pride gets set to return for the seventh 

time. 

Sponsored by Sunderland Business 

Improvement District, the event returns to 

Park Lane Shopping Village on Sunday 

24 September, with a day of live music, 

entertainment and the annual 

Pride Parade. 

But while Pride is a day of celebration, 

of music and of entertainment, 

organisers are also spending their time 

throughout the year looking at some of 

the more serious issues that affect the 

LGBT community. 

Sunderland Pride was founded in 2009 

and this year opened The Sunderland 

Pride Centre at Bridge House, which serves 

as a drop-in space for people from the 

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans 

community who need advice or support. 

To continue their mission of promoting 

social cohesion and supporting Wearside’s 

LGBT community, the centre has formed 

weekly community groups, including a 

trans group each Wednesday and an 

LGBT+ group on Fridays, both from 1-3pm, 

where service users can meet to chat and 

offer support to others. 

30 

vibemagazine.co.uk

While this is all going on behind the 

scenes, the small team is also working 

towards Sunderland’s largest celebration 

of diversity, concentrating each year on 

making Pride better than the year before. 

The festival itself is free to attend, however 

each year the event depends on the 

support of sponsors and generous 

donations from the public to make it an 

inclusive and family-friendly event 

Other sponsors include Barclays Bank, 

Northumbria Police, Station Taxis, the 

University of Sunderland’s Student Union 

and Sunderland venues, Port of Call, 

Gatsby, Basement, BION, Papa’s Tapas 

and Fusion. 

The centre also provides HIV and STI 

testing and a wide range of counselling 

services and has run a number of 

successful campaigns to help prevent the 

spread of HIV, for both the LGBT and 

heterosexual communities. 

Gemma Dishman, marketing and 

communications manager at 

Sunderland BID – which is the 

festival’s main sponsor - said: 

We are extremely 

proud to be sponsoring 

Sunderland Pride for 

the third year running. 

It’s always a fun day 

which brings the 

Wearside community 

together and 

celebrates the great 

diversity in our city. 

At the same time, the group has also been 

behind the There Is No Room for Hate 

campaign, which encourages those who 

have been subject to a hate crime to visit 

the centre, report the crime and receive 

on-going support. 

For further information about the 

festival, along with details on the 

Sunderland Pride Centre, go to 

www.sunderlandpridegroup.com 


31

Get on-board with 

Smart 

tickets 

Mobile 

tickets 

Contactless 

payment 

Updates 

@StagecoachNE 

Stagecoach 

Bus App 

Sunderland dayrider £3.65 

Tyne & Wear dayrider £4.00 

Sunderland megarider £12.50 

Tyne & Wear megarider PLUS £16.00 

Prices valid from July 2017 

X 24 

e press 

Up to every 30 minutes 

Sunderland - Newcastle 

stagecoachbus.com

Students - Ready, Set, Raid! 

Whether you’re an undergraduate, mature student or college 

student - you’re all welcome, so put down those books and pick 

up some bargains this October at the Bridges. 

Students, get ready to put down those 

books and pick up some shopping bags 

this October at the Bridges. 

On Monday, October 2, the shopping 

centre will be hosting its annual Student 

Raid: a special shopping night to welcome 

new students to the city, as well as 

welcoming back returning students, with 

a range of discounts, promotions, 

competitions and giveaways for guests to 

get their hands on. 

And this year’s raid, which is now in its 

seventh year, is set to be the biggest and 

most memorable yet. 

Dozens of the shopping centre’s retailers 

have signed up to take part in the event, 

which runs from 6:30pm until 10pm, with 

some discounting items by as much as 30 

per cent. 

Stores offering discounts include Topshop, 

River Island, Superdry and Schuh, along 

with numerous others. 

Activities within the centre on the night 

include games, giveaways and 

competitions. 

The evening is a special one night only 

shopping experience for people attending 

The event is always really 

popular and it’s also a 

great opportunity for new 

students to see the strong 

retail offering we have here 

at the Bridges. 

the university or one of the city’s colleges 

and previous years have seen thousands 

of students attend, ready to enjoy the 

hefty discounts, freebies and 

entertainment available on the night. 

The event is free to attend but 

students must register beforehand 

by visiting the Bridges website 

from September. 

@bridgessund @bridgesshop 


33

For For your your kids’ kids’ sake, sake, never never smoke smoke indoors. 

Take Take it it right right outside. 

Harmful secondhand smoke contains 

Harmful secondhand smoke contains 

poisons like carbon monoxide, cyanide and 

poisons like carbon monoxide, cyanide and 

benzene – and lingers for up to 5 hours, 

benzene – and lingers for up to 5 hours, 

waiting for your child to breathe it in. 

waiting for your child to breathe it in. 

For tips on going smoke-free visit 

For tips on going smoke-free visit 

smokefreefamilies.co.uk 

smokefreefamilies.co.uk 

#smokefreefamilies 

#smokefreefamilies 

C 

C 

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A RB ON 

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ARSENIC 

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ANIDE 

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ANIDE 

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DE 

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L E A D 

L E A D 

BENZE N E 

BENZE N E 

e21160 For the sake of your children, dont smoke indoors Advert.indd 1 14/07/2017 14:12 

oce21160 For the sake of your children, dont smoke indoors Advert.indd 1 14/07/2017 14:12

No ifs, no butts… 

...there are lots of reasons to stub out smoking 

Last month marked the 10 year 

anniversary of smokefree law 

being introduced in England 

and with a new campaign from 

FRESH, the North East programme 

to reduce smoking, highlighting the 

dangers of second hand smoke – 

there are plenty of reasons to stub 

out cigarettes for good. 

The good news is that in the north east, 

more people than ever before are 

quitting and enjoying the benefits which 

come with being smoke free. 

In the last year alone over 1400 people in 

Sunderland have quit, people like 

60-year-old Chris. 

After smoking for 47 years, Chris has been 

smoke free for over five months with the 

help of the Live Life Well Service, a service 

which is commissioned by Sunderland 

City Council to support people to make 

healthier life choices. 

Chris said: “I was referred to the Live Life 

Well Service by the chest clinic at 

Sunderland hospital. I started smoking 

when I was 13 and, like lots of people who 

smoke, know about the risks. It takes 

something serious to give you the kick you 

need to do something about it. 

“I was a 30 a day smoker, so going 

through the process of giving up hasn’t 

been easy. I enrolled on a 12 week 

programme with the Live Life Well service 

and the co-ordinator there was incredibly 

supportive. She helped me go through 

the options available to me at the outset 

and we worked out what was best for me 

to get started. 

“In the beginning I used a combination of 

lozenges and patches but stopped with 

them in May and now it’s will power all 

the way. 

“My advice to anyone who is a smoker 

would be if you want to give up, only you 

can do it. It’s definitely the hardest thing I 

have ever done but I am determined to 

keep going and it does get easier as time 

goes on.” 

What are the facts? 

l 8 out of 10 people in Sunderland 

don’t smoke 

l You’re four times more likely to 

quit smoking with help from your 

local NHS Stop Smoking Services 

l Children who have a parent who 

smokes are up to three times 

more likely to smoke 

l One in two long-term smokers 

will die early from a smokingrelated 

illness. 

Do you want to quit? 

Sunderland NHS Stop Smoking Services provide 

access to stop smoking support for those living and 

working in the city. Services are available at a wide 

range of places, including GP practices, pharmacies 

and community organisations. 

For support to quit call the Live Life Well Service 

on 0800 107 0741, visit www.livelifewell.org.uk or 

speak to your GP or local community pharmacy. 


35

Wearside Audi has moved 

to a brand new Centre 

on Newcastle Road, Sunderland. 

MARGARET 

THOMPSON PARK 

ALL NEW 

WEARSIDE 

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A1018 

TESCO 

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Find us at 

7 Newcastle Road, Sunderland, SR5 1JQ 

lookers.co.uk/audi 

400 metres from Tesco Extra.

BIG Walk 

Sunday 1 October, 10am 

Choice of 3, 7 or 11 mile walks suitable for 

all ages and abilities, all starting and 

finishing in Herrington Country Park 

Entry is £10 per person, enter online at: 

www.activesunderland.org.uk 

#WeAreActiveSunderland 

HMS Ocean, Sunderland’s adopted 

warship, has sailed for the city for the last 

time. 

The 21,500 tonnes helicopter carrier, which 

is the Royal Navy’s flagship vessel, is to be 

decommissioned and replaced by £3.5bn 

aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. 

HMS Ocean left Wearside for the final 

time on July 11, waved away by hundreds 

of well-wishers who lined the riverside to 

catch a last glimpse of a city favourite. 

During her last visit, the 240 officers and 

ratings from the ship’s company exercised 

HMS Ocean’s Freedom of the City be 

marching through the city centre 

accompanied by the Band of Her 

Majesty’s Royal Marines. Visitors also had 

the opportunity to tour the vessel. 

This year’s Houghton Feast will run 

from Friday, October 6 to Sunday, 

October 15. 

The ten-day festival will feature a 

fairground, traditional ox roasting, a 

carnival parade, a tattoo with pipes 

and drums, church events, 

community events, talks and tours 

and plenty of fireworks. 

The festival dates back to the 12th 

century when it originated as 

Michaelmas, the dedication service 

of the parish church of St Michael 

and All Angels. 

This year’s event has a ‘time travel’ 

theme and will be taking a special 

look back to the past when Bernard 

Gilpin, who was born 500 years ago 

this year, would roast an ox or hog to 

feed Houghton’s poor. 

For more information about 

Houghton Feast, log on to 

www.houghtonfeast.co.uk 

Sunderland International Airshow once 

again attracted hundreds of thousands 

of visitors to the city – despite 

disappointing weather. 

Europe’s biggest free annual airshow was 

held over Roker and Seaburn during the 

last weekend of July and featured 

spectacular displays from, among others, 

the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight; The 

Red Arrows and the Eurofighter Typhoon. 

Work on Sunderland’s new bridge is 

continuing at a pace with the installation 

of the cable stays underway. 

The New Wear Crossing is on track to be 

complete and open to the public by the 

spring of 2018, improving the links 

between the A19 and the city centre and 

Port of Sunderland, attracting investment 

and enabling land along the River Wear 

to be developed. 

The next big milestone is completion of 

the installation of the 28 cable stays that 

will hold the bridge deck firmly in place. 


37

Unique business partnership 

helping to shape city’s future 

Sunderland Business Partnership is a 

collective of the region’s foremost 

businesses and organisations who are 

working together to provide a powerful 

voice for the city and help shape its 

future. 

It was founded by some of Sunderland’s 

leading organisations that believe in the 

potential of the city, and want to 

positively influence all that it is today, and 

all it could be tomorrow. 

The partnership has more than 50 

businesses on board, many from outside 

of the city, but all with a shared 

commitment to get the best deal for 

Sunderland – to create a modern, vibrant 

place to live work, study and enjoy. 

Since its inception, the group has 

successfully created the Sunderland 

Business Improvement District, which has 

been operational since 2014; played a 

crucial role in developing the Enterprise 

and Innovation Hub, pictured above, now 

open at Hope Street Xchange on Hind 

Street; and set up a partnership scheme, 

which contributes to the promotion of 

Sunderland, which has delivered more 

than £1m worth of positive coverage and 

been seen by many millions of people 

locally, nationally and internationally. 

The city has a clear vision for the future, 

with £1.3bn of investment going in to 

Sunderland right now, and that figure 

continues to climb. 

Major infrastructure projects are 

springing up across the city, including the 

New Wear Crossing; development of the 

former Vaux brewery site, including a 

60,000 square ft. office building; and the 

planned International Advanced 

Manufacturing Park north of Nissan, 

which will create 5,200 jobs. 

And bolstered by its shortlisting for UK 

City of Culture, Sunderland is undergoing 

a cultural transformation, which is 

highlighted by the The Fire Station’s 

evolution from an empty shell to exciting 

cultural hub. 

The partnership is open to companies 

from the city and the wider region who 

care about Sunderland. 

Companies that wish to join the scheme 

and add their voice to this increasingly 

powerful network should contact 

Ashmore Consulting at mark.hodgson@ 

ashmoreconsulting.co.uk or by calling 

0191 500 8585. 

38 

vibemagazine.co.uk

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Vibe Autumn 2017

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