I definitely and rather obviously, do not agree with this.
I do wonder though, have any of those that do give me stick* ever been up North and seen Newcastle upon Tyne?
They really should, as Newcastle is a reet canny* place. Drive a further 13 miles north of Newcastle, and what people often don’t realise, is that will put you in the heart of Northumberland – a diverse county that offers new towns, modern shopping precincts, while also offering sandy beaches that stretch for miles, forests, reservoirs, valleys – to name but a few. It is still incredibly rural.Don’t worry, you won’t find me saying “Oh Newcastle is a faraway land, filled with magic and wonder. It makes hearts pound, it is filled with wonderful people and is a land of great mystic prosper. It has beaches of gold, rivers of silver blah, blah, blah….” because that would be a blatant lie.
To get started, let me ask you this, how many famous people do you know that are from the North East? Ant & Dec don’t count as everyone knows them.
How many? Three, possibly four and maybe even five at a push?
Let me enlighten you with a few names you’re most likely to know. Ant & Dec, Sir Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer, Steve Bruce, Mark Knopfler, Cheryl Tweedy/Cole, Jimmy Nail, Tim Healy, Catherine Cookson, Denise Welch, Jackie Milburn, Sting, Eric Idle, Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley, Chris Rea, Ross Noble, Ridley Scott, Jill Halfpenny, Roy Chubby Brown, Robson Green, Bobby & Jack Charlton, George Stephenson, Rowan Atkinson, Ian La Frenais, Bryan Ferry, Hank Marvin, Wendy Craig and Kevin Whately.
Give or take a few of those names, there is an awful lot of talent that started from Northern roots.
Newcastle city centre is a sight in itself. Not only do we have a mix of old and new, but it’s done in such a way that people are proud of it. Walk down across the Tyne Bridge and onto Newcastle’s quayside and you’ll see The Sage. A venue that was built using Lottery foundation money and is now home to classical music performance groups from around the region, as well as further afield. It really does look magnificent. Nestled on the banks of the Gateshead side of the River Tyne (or the Big River as Jimmy Nail sings), it can literally be seen for miles – much like the Angel of the North, another landmark that receives visitors from afar all the time. Finally, Newcastle looks cool. It is still rural enough that the Town Moor (Massive fields in the city centre owned by farmers) still even has cows that continue to live on it.
One final landmark to mention, other than the palatial St James’ Park of course, is the infamous Tyne Bridge. It is an exact replica of the one in Sydney, Australia and even features prominently on the label of a bottle of Dog (Newcastle Brown Ale).Enough of landmarks. The nightlife in Newcastle is fantastic. I’m biased, but everyone I know who has been on a night out there has also said the same thing. Why is this, after all most of the bars and clubs are similar to those of other big cities? I can only think it’s the Geordie people who make it what it is – a quality destination with a vibrant, cosmopolitan nightlife that continues to both impress and win awards nationally. I know of no other city where one minute you can be in a Hip Hop/R & B club and then the next be down looking over the River Tyne while sipping cocktails in class company.
Then in the morning in an effort to shrug off the hangover you can go for a walk along Northumberland’s coast – even feeling the sand in between your toes if you take your shoes and socks off (although you’ve got to watch for the odd needle or two, as you’re in the North East, not the Costa del Sol) - at multiple destinations, including Whitely Bay, South Shields or Seaton Sluice. I’d recommend Seaton Sluice as the “chippy” there is great.
The scenery, the people, the architecture are all so fantastic that TV and Films have been set here including: Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Goal!, Purely Belter, Billy Elliot and Our Friends in the North (which featured a very young pre 007 Daniel Craig). How many other cities throughout England, minus London, can stake such a claim?
We have a football team which, although going through a turbulent patch at the moment, is remembered most notably for the years when Newcastle United went by another name: Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers. We even almost bagged a win in the Premiership back in 1996. Those days are still looked fondly upon by every single member of the toon army – ever hopeful of a nostalgic comeback, much to the amusement of our rivals. We don’t care though, we love our team, or as Bobby Robson poignantly puts it: “Like the people of Newcastle, I bleed Black and White.”
Why do Geordies love where they come from and their football team so much?
Snubbing Manchester United for Newcastle was a precarious move, but Shearer pinpointed the exact answer to the question in saying: “The lure of playing for my home town club in the black and white shirt with the number nine shirt just proved too much and probably everyone outside Newcastle will find that hard to understand, but if you ask a Geordie who has been brought up in Newcastle kicking a ball around in a black and white shirt all his life to go back and play for them, then they will understand just as I did.”
Newcastle United is possibly one of the only clubs in the Premier League that has an Ex-manager who also attempted pop superstardom back in 1979 with the release of a hit single that reached 31 in the charts. Hit it KK!
Newcastle United have regular support of 52,000 Geordies week in and week out and there are scores more ready to step up should they get the chance to. Looking back at the list of famous Geordies, a few have them have been lucky enough to get the opportunity to play for and even manage Newcastle United.
Howay* the lads!
But why is Newcastle so special?
People such as Kevin Keegan, Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer and even Joe Kinnear are often quoted as saying there is something special about Newcastle and how fantastic its people are. Since moving away to Sheffield I’ve figured out exactly what it is.
It’s where I come from – it’s my home...
Laern Yarsel Geordie:
*Stick = having jokes made towards one
*Reet Canny = Right Good
*Howay = Come On
Newcastle United is possibly one of the only clubs in the Premier League that has an Ex-manager who also attempted pop superstardom back in 1979 with the release of a hit single that reached 31 in the charts. Hit it KK!
Newcastle United have regular support of 52,000 Geordies week in and week out and there are scores more ready to step up should they get the chance to. Looking back at the list of famous Geordies, a few have them have been lucky enough to get the opportunity to play for and even manage Newcastle United. Howay* the lads!
But why is Newcastle so special?
People such as Kevin Keegan, Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer and even Joe Kinnear are often quoted as saying there is something special about Newcastle and how fantastic its people are. Since moving away to Sheffield I’ve figured out exactly what it is.
It’s where I come from – it’s my home...
Laern Yarsel Geordie:
*Stick = having jokes made towards one
*Reet Canny = Right Good
*Howay = Come On
