What is One Day for Newbiggin?

On 19th August 2007 an entire community was invited to take part in a unique 24 hour photography project. Anyone who was in Newbiggin by the Sea on that day was encouraged to take photos of whatever they were doing, wherever they were. Hundreds did, and thousands of photographs were produced. These amazing photographs were the starting point for our special exhibitions, calendar, book and web site.

The Inspiration

In 1987 a book was published called One Day for Life, which invited anyone in the UK to take a picture in a certain day, and the rersults were published in a book. The book is a wonderful snapshot of life in Britain in the 1980s ,and contains inspirational images. It's a document of a society. What we want to do in Newbiggin is take a snapshot of our community, in a year when so much is changing for the better. This year, possible more than any other in the life of the village, it might be said that things will never be the same again. We wanted to capture the mood of optimism, nostalgia, excitement, pride and change - and with today's technology, there have never been so many ways to take photographs. Our aim is to create a document of life in our unique village at a unique time, that we'll be able to look back on in 5, 10, 20 years and feel proud.

Organisation

The event was organised by the Newbiggin Photography Group, part of the Newbiggin Arts Forum. 2007 was a pivotal year in the life of Newbiggin by the Sea. Regeneration projects begun over the past few years are now part of a village-wide renewal of pride. And over the summer, the Newbiggin Bay Beach Replenishment Project has attracted a huge amount of interest in the village – the future looks bright. We thought that this year would be an excellent opportunity to celebrate the future of the village, and remember the past.

Funding and Support

This project would not be possible without the enthusiasm and generous support of a number of organisations and individuals, including Westminster Dredging Company, Newbiggin Life, Wansbeck District Council, Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Sound Ideas, Pride of Northumbria, INSPIRE, Newbiggin Arts Forum.

If you would like to help support this project, we still need funding and offers of help to make it happen, and be the success we know it can be.

If you would like to make a donation toward the project costs we would very much like to talk to you. Your support will be acknowledged in all publicity, and listed in the book, web site and exhibition materials. Any contribution is extremely welcome. Contact us on 01670 810370 to talk about ways you might be able to help.