working life Support and inspiration


Learning lab The Civic Journalism Lab runs masterclasses, hack days and workshops on topics such as data journalism, making TikTok videos, reporting on race and handling abuse on


social media. David Baines, Newcastle NUJ branch secretary, says: “These sessions can be useful for freelances in particular who wish to add new strings to their bows – and perhaps


at Newcastle University. “In a relatively small region like the north east, it can be easy for journalists to feel isolated and disconnected, so I saw an opportunity to offer student, community and professional journalists a chance to meet on a regular basis to learn and collaborate together,” he says. Wylie moved to Newcastle from London in 1993 after falling in love with the region and local people. He was offered shifts at The Guardian in London which turned into a permanent part-time job as a section editor but, despite several job offers, was not tempted to move back. “For the entirety of my 16-year career with The Guardian, I


lived in Newcastle, taking the East Coast Main Line train to King’s Cross and staying with friends in London for a night or two before taking the train back home again at the end of the week,” he says. “I’d been made redundant from a job very early in my career and had promised myself that I would never again put all my eggs in one basket. I remember one of my bosses at The Guardian telling me that I would never make it in journalism if I didn’t move to London or the south east. But I lasted longer at the newspaper than she did.” He still writes for The Guardian and the Financial Times, and produces audio content for Monocle magazine and Management Today. Journalist Jo Dunbar also moved from London, where she


had held staff jobs at Good Housekeeping, Woman, Bella and The Mail on Sunday: “I found very quickly when I arrived that regional media work wasn’t going to pay the bills – the major regional newspaper had laid off lots of staff so that wasn’t an avenue I could explore,” she says. Dunbar started using her skills in other ways and did


editorial consultancy and now freelances for nationals including Grazia, The Telegraph and Mother & Baby magazine. One of the things she loves about Newcastle is how


enter new markets.” • civicjournalismlab.org


A jewel of a library One of Newcastle’s hidden gems, the Lit & Phil is the largest independent library


“Newcastle is a very newsy city, as is the North East, so as a journalist, there is plenty to get your teeth stuck into.” Steven Hugill, North East Times


“It’s affordable, has good amenities, is close to the coast and countryside and has fewer traffic jams.” Ian Wylie, writer, editor, podcaster


“The friendliness of everybody in the city is the main thing – most people are warm and kind-hearted.” Lee Ryder, The Chronicle


outside London with 200,000 books, 20,000 CDs and LPs, comfy armchairs and a hatch serving tea and coffee. Established in 1825 and housed in a neoclassical building, it holds talks and events. Past speakers include Oscar Wilde and Edith Sitwell. • litandphil.org.uk


Help for refugees The Newcastle and Sunderland NUJ branches have been welcoming refugee journalists. David Baines, Newcastle branch secretary, says one has a background in sports journalism. “We are trying to help him to get back on his feet,” he says.


accessible it is. “It doesn’t take long to get to any part, so I can arrange meetings easily and also find myself a change of scenery if I fancy working somewhere other than my home office,” she says. “Aside from the coast being close by, the city centre’s architecture and famous quayside are fantastic landscapes to gaze upon.” As well as an international airport and good train links (London is less than three hours and Edinburgh an hour and a half away), there are various co-working spaces at reasonable rates. As for local and regional magazines, the pay varies and they are run by small teams. There is lifestyle glossy Living North, business and leisure magazine Northern Insight, North East Times and free listings and entertainment guides The Crack, NARC and NE Volume. Steven Hugill is editor of North East Times and commutes from nearby (and now infamous) Barnard Castle. “Newcastle is a great city,” he says. “It sounds a cliché, but there really is so much to do and the people are really friendly. Take a walk along the Quayside and you’ve got the impressive Sage Gateshead music and arts venue that looms over the River Tyne and the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art nearby. Plans have also been approved to create a new international conference and exhibition centre overlooking the river. In the city centre, you’ve got great cultural venues such as the Laing Art Gallery, which will this year host the Lindisfarne Gospels.” Travel a few miles north and there are the spectacular windswept beaches of Northumberland, while a 15-minute train journey south is the historic city of Durham. Its proud heritage, architecture, humour and straight- talking Geordies all give Newcastle its character, but there is more than that. There is a depth, a warmth, grit and resilience to this city that is not only inspiring but makes you want to go back.


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