Summer day in coastal village captured in time

Nov 19 2007 by Sam Wood, The Journal

HUNDREDS of photographs of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, taken by residents on one day this summer, are to go on display next week.

On August 19 visitors and residents were asked to take snaps of their day as part of the One Day in Newbiggin project to mark a momentous year in the village’s history.

Starting at midnight and lasting for 24 hours, the event was organised by the Newbiggin Photography Group.

The results will be on show from next Sunday for a week and there will be a special launch event today.

Exhibition organiser and Newbiggin resident Jason Thompson said: “We had an amazing response to the request. More than 200 people took part and we got about 3,000 pictures all together.

“We had all sorts of pictures, people walking their dogs, eating breakfast, having a drink, just things which are part of everyday life.

“People aged seven to 90 took part, it was a really democratic thing. It was all part of marking an important year in the development of the village.

“We wanted to capture the mood of optimism, nostalgia, excitement and pride, which are emotions currently being experienced by a high percentage of residents.

“Technology in the 21st Century allows people to take photographs in many different ways, which is ideal for a project like One Day For Newbiggin.

“Our aim has been to create a document of life in our unique village at a wonderful moment in time – creating a visual archive that can be passed down to future generations. People who have seen part of the exhibition already have had a very emotional response to it.”

The aim was to produce a permanent reminder of a summer in which the village underwent remarkable changes aimed at helping to transform its fortunes and resurrect its heyday as a popular resort.

Everyone living in or visiting Newbiggin-by-the-Sea was asked to carry a camera and help produce a once-in-a-lifetime snapshot of a day in its life.

One Day for Newbiggin was linked to the £11m scheme to build a new coast protection breakwater in the bay, the importation of 500,000 tonnes of sand to restore the village's lost beach and the installation of an iconic sculpture of a couple looking out to sea on the new sea wall.

The final exhibition will be on display in St Bartholomew's Church Centre on Front Street, Newbiggin from Sunday to Saturday December 1.