How to get involved in Horden’s 125th birthday celebrations
A number of events are happening across an East Durham village this week to celebrate its 125th birthday.
Horden, on the outskirts of Hartlepool, is officially turning 125 on Saturday, August 23, with a number of different activities planned over the coming week.
St Mary’s Church, in Blackhills Road, will be hosting the launch of an exhibition on Friday, August 22, at 5pm called Going Back Brockens.
The exhibition will feature a sound installation using archival recordings of Horden and East Durham residents sharing their memories of life after the 1984 and 1985 miners’ strike.
This will be accompanied by 40 paintings from Hartlepool artist Narbi Price showing County Durham’s former colliery sites as they look today, 40 years since the last coal was mined.
Complimenting the exhibition will be a series of specially commissioned short films by Horden videographer Carl Joyce, inspired by Mark Hudson’s book Going Back Brockens.
The exhibition will be available to watch from 4pm every day until Sunday, August 31.
On Saturday, August 23, there will be a special church service at St Mary’s Church at 10.30am to mark the official anniversary.
A number of Horden’s oldest residents will be attending the service, which will be followed by tea and cake.
There will also be a mini miners’ gala at Horden Welfare Park from 1pm until 4pm featuring a number of rides, crazy gold, face painting, crafts and a fancy dress competition.
Singers Bob Fox and Billy Mitchell, of the band The Pitmen Poets, will also be performing at the bandstand.
The play Pits, People and Players is also still running at Horden Methodist Church until Saturday, August 23.
Produced by Ensemble ‘84, which is based in Horden, the show explores the village’s industrialisation and the closure of the pits in 1987.
On Friday, August 29, and Saturday, August 30, there will also be a flower and vegetable show at Horden Social Welfare Centre, in Seventh Street.
This will be open to the public from 10am until 6pm on Friday, and 10am until 12pm on Saturday.
For more information and to book tickets to Pits, People and Players, see https://www.ensemble84.com/pits-people-players or call the box office on (0191) 5242578.