An annotated guide to the Blaydon Races

 BLAYDON RACES

Geordie Ridley (1862)

Aa went to Blaydon Races, 'twas on the ninth of Joon,
Eiteen hundred an' sixty-two, on a summer's efternoon;
Aa tyuk the 'bus frae Balmbra's [1], an' she wis heavy laden,
Away we went 'lang Collin'wood Street, that's on the road to Blaydon.

Chorus
Ah me lads, ye shudda seen us gannin',  
We pass'd the foaks alang the road just as they wor stannin';
Thor wis lots o' lads an' lassies there, aal wi' smiling faces,  
Gannin' alang the Scotswood Road [2], to see the Blaydon Races.

We flew past Airmstrang's factory [3], and up to the "Robin Adair" [4],
Just gannin' doon te the railway bridge, the 'bus wheel flew off there.
The lassies lost their crinolines off, an' the veils that hide their faces,
An' aw got two black eyes an' a broken nose gannin' te Blaydon Races.
(chorus)

When we gat the wheel put on away we went agyen,
But them that had their noses broke they cam back ower hyem;
Sum went to the Dispensary an' uthers to Doctor Gibbs [5],
An' sum sought out the Infirmary to mend their broken ribs.
(chorus)

Noo when we gat to Paradise [6] thor wes bonny gam begun;
Thor was fower-an-twenty on the 'bus, man, hoo they danced an' sung;
They called on me to sing a sang, aa sung them "Paddy Fagan",
Aa danced a jig an' swung my twig that day aa went to Blaydon.
(chorus)

We flew across the Chain Bridge [7] reet into Blaydon toon,
The bellman he was callin' there, they call him Jackie Broon [8];
Aa saw him talkin' to sum cheps, an' them he was pursuadin'
To gan an' see Geordy Ridley's show in the Mechanics' Hall at Blaydon [9].
(chorus)

The rain it poor'd aall the day an' mayed the groons quite muddy,
Coffy Johnny [10] had a white hat on – they war shootin' "Whe stole the cuddy?!" [11]
There wis spice stalls an' munkey shows an' aud wives selling ciders,
An' a chep wiv a hapenny roond aboot, shootin' "Noo, me lads, for riders."
(chorus)

NOTES
[Summary] The Blaydon Races gives a first-person account of how a bunch of intrepid revellers set off from Newcastle city centre to head for an island on the Tyne near Blaydon to see an annual horse racing meet.
On the way, disaster strikes when a bus wheel falls off - but, despite several folk suffering injuries, 24 people remain on the repaired vehicle as the party reaches Blaydon town. Unfortunately, their day does not much improve and heavy rain restricts the amount of races which they see. Nevertheless, as the narrator points out, there is plenty of alternative entertainment on offer - and, of course, Geordie Ridley's concert to attend later that evening.
Although the account of the trip to Blaydon is actually a work of fiction, there are some elements of truth in the final verse. Heavy rain on 9 June 1862 and missing horses were both reported in the local press. Racing was delayed until around 4pm.

[1] Balmbra's was a music hall in Geordie Ridley's day, named after its proprietor John Balmbra who had carried out extensive renovation work at around the time of the song. Based in the Cloth Market in Newcastle city centre, Balmbra's was the first place in which the Blaydon Races was performed by Geordie Ridley, and, in the song, it acts as the start point of the journey - something replicated in the present day by the 5.6-mile UK Athletics road race.
In 2004, Balmbra's was taken over by Birmingham chain Mitchell & Butlers who rebranded it as part of their Reflex franchise. Under pressure from the Newcastle Evening Chronicle and local politicians, the new owners incorporated the Balmbra's name into the title of the bar (Balmbra's Reflex). The building - now owned by the Malhotra Group - is currently closed but set to be renovated again.

[2] Scotswood Road was and still is the major throughfare between Blaydon and Newcastle city centre, currently part of the road network as the A695.

[3] Airmstrang's factory was a large munitions works, founded on the banks of the Tyne by one of the country’s greatest industrialists Lord William George Armstrong in 1847. Based in Elswick, it merged several times - notably, in 1882 with the shipbuilding firm Charles Mitchell to form Armstrong Mitchell & Company, and in 1897 with the engineering firm of Joseph Whitworth, whereupon it expanded its business into the manufacture of cars, trucks, and eventually aircraft. In 1927, it became Vickers-Armstrong, latterly Vickers, until a takeover by Rolls Royce in 1999. In the 17 year since then, the site has been owned briefly by BAE Systems and is now part of the Newcastle-based engineering company, the Reece Group. The address of the site remains the Armstrong Works.
 
[4] Robin Adair was a public house on the Newcastle side of the Scotswood Bridge, now demolished.

[5] Doctor Gibbs was the pre-eminent medical practicioner in Newcastle upon Tyne at the time of Geordie Ridley's verse - he charged all patients the same price and he remained in practice until his death in 1916.

[6] Paradise was not a paradise - but, rather, a reference to a local dump situated on Scotswood Road.

[7] The old Scotswood bridge was known as the Chain Bridge, a suspension bridge with two stone towers, from which a road deck was suspended by chains. Constructed in 1831, and widened a century later, it crossed the Tyne until 1967 when it was demolished following the construction of its replacement which stands to this day.

[8] Jackie Broon, referred to as a bellman in the song, was the town crier for Blaydon at the time of the song. He lived in Wesley Place and was buried in Blaydon cemetery on his death in 1901. His bell is now preserved by the Discovery Museum in Newcastle and is still today used to set off the runners from the bottom of the Cloth Market in the UK Athletics race.

[9] The Mechanics' Hall at Blaydon was established in 1846 for the eduction of the working classes. In 1852, a building - long since demolished - was erected in Tyne Street and contained a library, a reading room, and a lecture hall. It was supported and largely furnished by the secretary Joseph Cowen jnr. Of course, the real reason for this line in the song is that Geordie Ridley was effectively advertising his show which was to take place that evening after the horse racing had finished. As such, it is probably the case that the original song ended with this exhortation before a sixth and final verse was added later.

[10] Coffy Johnny was a blacksmith from Winlaton. A tall man for the Victorian period, he stood at well over six foot, and was something of a local celebrity - he would have certainly been well known to Geordie Ridley's audience. A formidable bare-knuckle fighter, Coffy Johnny knocked out a fellow hardman, Will Renwick, in a bout on 27 May 1850 which lasted over an hour and went 36 rounds. Coffy Johnny died in 1900 and is buried in the cemetery at St Paul's Church in Winlaton.
 
[11] "Whe stole the cuddy?!" - Geordie for "Who stole the horses?!" - likely to be a sarcastic jibe by Geordie Ridley on account of the lack of racing due to inclement weather to which he refers at the start of the verse: the rain it poor'd aall the day...

Sources
http://www.winlatonhistorysociety.btck.co.uk/BLAYDON-TheRoadtoBlaydonRaces http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/DUR/Winlaton/Coffee
http://www.englandsnortheast.co.uk/GatesheadBlaydon.html

Artwork
The Blaydon Races by William Irving (1903)

First Pegida march pisses off peacefully

THE FIRST Pegida march in Britain, held in the Bigg Market in Newcastle on Saturday, passed off without major incident, according to police sources.

Pegida, a group that stands for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West^, is a German right-wing anti-Islam political organisation, founded in Dresden last October.

In Germany, it has had a fair amount of success with up to 25,000 people participating in an event held over there in January.

However, the group's attempts to spread internationally have not been as successful with little more than a smattering of protesters heading to rallies in Norway and Denmark.

The event in Newcastle was meant to be different, reinvigorating the Pegida cause by making a strong first impression in this country.

Heavily trailed on social media sites, organisers claimed the Tyneside city had been selected as there was apparently already a groundswell of support for the group.

But, ultimately, the reality was rather different. Yes, on the day itself, the Pegida supporters were outnumbered five-to-one by a counter-demonstration organised by Newcastle Unites.

For, while there were officially only 375 Pegida attendees, approximately 2,000 people marched from Gallowgate to Newgate Street against them at about the same time.

The disparity left the Pegida organisers blaming transport problems for their own paltry turnout. It was, in the end, all a rather pathetic damp squib.

Of course, Newcastle has been here before - even quite recently. In 2010, the English Defence League occupied the same spot as Pegida in a similarly unconvincing display of alleged strength.

And perhaps the reason why Newcastle was targeted again comes down to the fact that the north east region of England has fewer ethnic minorities living in it than any other part of the country.

Presumably the line of thinking goes that a lack of exposure to a multiracial society allows ignorance and fear to fester - and that this makes the area attractive to the likes of Pegida.

But, while that is evidently true in a minority of cases, it seems the far-right regularly misjudge the overall mood of the city of Newcastle itself.

After all, the de facto regional capital is not typical of the area as a whole - with a far lower proportion of those identifying as white British (83.61%) than the overall north east figure of 92.43%.

Even just a five-minute walk out to the west end of the town would confirm Newcastle is a far more diverse place to live than it is often given credit for.

Additionally, Newcastle United Football Club - based at the heart of the city - currently has one of the most ethnically diverse squads in the Premier League.

The Magpies regularly field Muslims in their starting line-up with Papiss Cisse wearing the iconic number nine shirt, and Moussa Sissoko, Cheik Tiote and Mehdi Abeid all featuring in midfield.

For their part, Pegida supporters deny it is racist or fascist but instead is concerned with the supposed "Islamification" of Britain.

But that claim was rather undermined by the fact that EDL and National Front banners could be seen in the Bigg Market.

Of course, recent events - such as the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris and the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - have made the religion of Islam a hot topic of debate once again in Britain.

There are no doubt legitimate concerns about "ordinary Muslims" being radicalised and about organisations like Cage acting as unashamed apologists for the masked lunatic Mohammed Emwazi, better known as "Jihadi John".

But, although those concerns exist quite legitimately, turning to extremists to fight extremism is simply never the answer.

Thankfully, at the weekend, the people of Newcastle agreed with that and so left the Pegida lot looking rather daft.

^ Pegida in German = Patriotische Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes

A field for the Fallen

THOUSANDS of little wooden crosses all lined up, each carrying a poppy and adorned with a message clearly mattering to someone.

The Field of Remembrance at Saltwell Park in Gateshead is back following its successful introduction last year.

Situated near Saltwell Towers, the grand Victorian mansion, the memorial was opened on Saturday 2 November with a service led by The Reverend James Breslin, Chaplain to the Royal British Legion in Northumbria. A two-minute silence was held at 11am.

Yesterday, of course, was Remembrance Sunday and, in keeping with tradition, the Queen was joined by thousands of veterans and civilians at the Cenotaph in London for a further two-minute silence to remember fallen service personnel.

And today, on Armistice Day itself, I paid my own respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for Britain with a visit to the impressive sea of crosses and poppies at Saltwell.

The Field of Remembrance only came about following a campaign by north east newspaper, the Sunday Sun, and the family of Tyneside Rifleman Mark Turner.

Aged just 21, Rifleman Turner, from Sheriff Hill in Gateshead, was killed in 2010 by an improvised explosive device as he searched for roadside bombs in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

Ever since, his mother Anne has worked tirelessly on creating a place where loved ones could pay tribute to absent family members and friends. Plans on creating a permanent garden are still ongoing.
 
For now, visitors have until dusk on 15 November to see the temporary arrangement. 

And the sun was indeed setting on another crisp winter day as I knelt down and planted my little wooden cross into the earth.

But, before the cloak of darkness could once again fall across Tyneside, I read one last message which featured the words of Laurence Binyon from his commemorative poem, For the Fallen.

Originally published in the Times in September 1914, it included Binyon's famous Ode of Remembrance: "Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them."

• Donations to the Royal British Legion can be made on their website here.

GNR 2013: Farah tastes defeat on the South Shields sea front

The Tyne Bridge adorned for the first time with the Great North Run sign

DOUBLE Olympic champions Mo Farah took to the mean streets of the North East for the first time today but his bid for victory in his maiden Great North Run ended in defeat.

It was a very close-run thing, though, as Farah and winner Kenenisa Bekele treated the chilly South Shields crowd to a thrilling sprint finish.

For much of the race, Farah and Bekele had been joined by the legendary Haile Gebrselassie who was still competing aged 40, ultimately setting a new world record for his age-group.

Between them, the trio can boast no fewer than seven Olympic gold medals and they set off at an impressive pace, completing mile seven in just 4:21.

That pace seemed to catch out Bekele a little but, while he dropped about 20 metres behind, he made sure not to fall completely out of contention - and he was back in touch for a climactic finish.

Indeed, Bekele was first to make a move, pulling away down a steep slope in mile 12 - something which would have been rather unfamiliar to track star Farah.

But, still, Farah would not give up - and, as Gebrselassie faded to third, the stage was set for the Briton to chase down the lead.

Closer and closer came Farah but the tape was also coming closer and closer for Bekele. It was really unclear just which one would come first.

However, after a couple of anxious looks over the shoulder and a defensive weave across the path of Farah, one final kick would prove enough for Ethiopian Bekele to complete the course in 60:09.

Farah, just a second behind, was left only with the rare and bitter taste of defeat, though undoubtedly also with a hunger to road race again.

Meanwhile, in the women's elite race, an exciting finish of a different sort developed.

Unlike in the men's competition, there was no doubt who was going to win - Kenyan Priscah Jeptoo was well ahead of all of her rivals.

Instead, it was Jeptoo against the clock as, despite the dreary conditions, she chased down Paula Radcliffe's half-marathon record of 65:40, set in the 2003 Great North Run.

Radcliffe, who was on commentary duty today for the BBC, will have breathed a sigh of relief when Jeptoo crossed the line.

It was not quite quick enough, five seconds off the record to be accurate, though still the third-fastest time in history.

In the wheelchair races, the Tyneside crowds could cheer home success - in both the men's and women's events.

Six-time Paralympic gold medallist David Weir (43:06) took the men's event for the fifth time, a feat matched by Shelly Woods, who finished in 54:28.

But, of course, the Great North Run is not just about the elite athletes. Today, another 55,000+ runners, joggers, try-hards, and never-give-uppers also crossed the line in South Shields, raising millions between them for charity.

Little did Brendan Foster know just how big the Great North Run would become when he devised the first edition in 1981.

As Foster freely admits: “To be honest we had no idea if anyone was going to turn up at all

"But they did. And it’s just grown. When we reached 40,000 entrants a few years back, someone said that’s it, we can’t get any bigger. But we have."

Now, the run is constantly over-subscribed and attracts regular praise for its level of organisation.

And next year's entrants have the added incentive of the possibility of being the millionth person in the race's history to cross the line, the very first mass-participation event set to reach landmark.

Amongst the throng this year for the second time was my sister, Helen, a keen runner as she amply demonstrated in comfortably breaking the hour-mark in the Blaydon Race.

My sister was running for a brilliant charity, the Alzheimer's Society, a cause close to all of our hearts in our family, given that dementia has blighted three of our grandparents' latter days.

Dementia, which affects approximately 800,000 people in the United Kingdom alone, does not discriminate between the victims which it chooses.

It is a harrowing, often drawn-out illness without a known cure - and much more scientific research needs to be done to solve the enigma or at least stem the tide.

This is where the Alzheimer's Society comes in - but, of course, research requires money and so it feels only right that I should annotate this blog posting with my sister's JustGiving page.

Helen was very proud to represent the Alzheimer's Society today and she did them proud, finishing in a personal best time of two hours and 12 minutes.

A brilliant effort on a day which - even when the sun does not shine - never fails to show Newcastle and Tyneside in anything but a fantastic light.

For Nanna x

Persistence pays off for my Blaydon Races sis

BREAKING the hour mark became something of an obsession for my fitness-mad sister this year as she took part in her third Blaydon Race on a glorious "Ninth of Joon".

Last year, the Race was run in a terrible monsoon on the 150th anniversary of Geordie Ridley's tune - and it would prove even more agonising for my sister as she was officially clocked at 61 minutes.

But, another 12 months on, she was determined not to run it so close again. An increased gym regime on the treadmill began, and it has ultimately delivered a superb result with her unofficial time coming in at 55 minutes.

The official time for my sister will follow soon - though, for the first time, the 4000 competitors had an immediate opportunity to find out the fruits of their efforts, thanks to the long-desired introduction of chip timing.

Entirely understandably, my sister was rather more concerned with getting home, showered and changed before heading back to town for a few drinks. For, undoubtedly, the most wonderful thing about the Blaydon Race is the sheer sociability of the event.

This is no more exemplified than by the goody bag at the finish line, which includes a t-shirt that changes year-on-year and, perhaps, the most welcome of prizes - a bottle of ale from the Wylam brewery.

Certainly, the beer was well-deserved for this year's athletes after a run in which the sun shone high and the temperatures soared during the hottest part of the day.

But, while the weather was the complete opposite to the downpour in 2012, the course remained faithfully based on Geordie Ridley's song.

Beginning at Balmbras at the bottom of the Bigg Market with a hearty version of the Geordie anthem, the run twisted its way through Newcastle city centre, heading alang Collingwood Street, up the Westgate Road and past the Metro Radio Arena.

That put the competitors onto the famous Scotswood Road and they then all crossed over the Scotswood Bridge before looping around the Derwenthaugh Marina near the MetroCentre.

In the final part of the race, the runners headed onto Chainbridge to take them "reet into Blaydon toon" before they finished on the football fields near to Shibdon Pond.

There, I witnessed the efforts of a man dressed as the angel Gabriel - unnervingly with horn and golden hotpants, another man carrying a fridge on his back, a Wonderwoman and a Batman.

Most of all, though, I looked out for my sister, and then watched proudly as she crossed the line just after 4pm.

Note: the official race charity of the 2013 Blaydon Race was Heel and Toe Children's Charity, a local charity which offers free conductive education therapy to children with cerebral palsy, dyspraxia and other motor disorders.


THE BLAYDON RACES (1862)
by Geordie Ridley

(1) Aw went to Blaydon Races, 'twas on the ninth of Joon,
Eiteen hundred an' sixty-two, on a summer's efternoon;
Aw tyuk the 'bus frae Balmbra's, an' she wis heavy laden,
Away we went alang Collingwood Street, that's on the road to Blaydon.

(chorus)
Ah me lads, ye shuda seen us gannin',
Passin' the foaks upon the road just as they wor stannin';
Thor wes lots o' lads an' lasses there, all wi' smiling faces,  
Gannin' alang the Scotswood Road, t'see the Blaydon Races.

(2) We flew past Airmstrang's factory, and up to the "Robin Adair",
Just gannin' doon te the railway bridge, the 'bus wheel flew off there.
The lasses lost their crinolines, an' the veils that hide their faces,
Aw got two black eyes an' a broken nose in gan te Blaydon Races.

(3) When we gat the wheel put on away we went agyen,
But them that had their noses broke they cam back ower hyem;
Sum went to the Dispensary an' some to Doctor Gibbs's,
An' sum to the Infirmary to mend their broken ribs.

(4) Noo when we gat to Paradise thor wes bonny gam begun;
Thor was fower-an-twenty on the 'bus, man, hoo they danced an' sung;
They called on me to sing a sang, aw sung them "Paddy Fagan",
Aw danced a jig an' swung my twig that day aw went to Blaydon.

(5) We flew across the Chain Bridge reet into Blaydon toon,
The bellman he was callin' there, they call him Jackie Broon;
Aw saw him talkin' to sum cheps, an' them he was pursuadin'
To gan an' see Geordy Ridley's show in the Mechanics' Hall at Blaydon

(6) The rain it poor'd aw the day an' myed the groons quite muddy,
Coffy Johnny had a white hat on - they yelled, "Whe stole the cuddy."
There wes spice stalls an' munkey shows an' aud wives selling ciders,
An' a chep wiv a hapenny roond aboot, shootin' "Noo, me lads, for riders."

"The rain it poor'd doon aal the day an' it myed the groond quite muddy"*

*For non-Geordie speakers, this line from the final verse of Geordie Ridley's Blaydon Races translates as: "The rain poured down all day and made the ground very muddy."

THE WEATHER gods certainly had their say at yesterday's Blaydon Races - but they still could not spoil a brilliant - if very wet - 150th anniversary of Geordie Ridley's tune.

Dark clouds had been gathering on Tyneside all afternoon as flagship celebrations took place at Grey's Monument in Newcastle and beside Shibdon Pond in Blaydon.

Typically, though, the drizzle had somehow held off until all the runners were lined up at the bottom of the Groat Market for the start at 6pm.

And, pretty soon, those dark clouds had unleashed their torrents of rain, flooding the tarmac and soaking us as we headed alang the Scotswood Road.

Mercifully, the rain had eased a little by the time I had squelched across the Scotswood Bridge and around the Derwenthaugh loop as a series of bands encouraged us hearty souls alang the 5.9-mile route.

By then, heading into the last third of the race alang the Chainbridge Road, I knew I was going to make it again to the amended finish line this year.

That feeling came as quite a relief for, throughout the afternoon, my anxiety had unfortunately tried once again to get the better of me.

Specifically, I worried that my failure this year to do any training at all would cost me on the way round - even to the extent that I might collapse or at least embarrass myself by failing to finish.

Of course, my nervous disposition this time had some rational thought behind it - and my stiff leg muscles today are testament to the fact that it certainly is not best practice to run without training.

In the end, though, my negative mindset had still made far too much of the task ahead of me.

Indeed, as I ran onto the new finish on the Shibdon Road playing fields, the official timer told me that I had completed the race in 69 minutes - exactly the same as last year.

Now, I am fully aware that such a time is hardly an outstanding achievement. Certainly, my sister can be a lot prouder having broken through the hour mark this year.

But, like a horse competing in the Grand National at Aintree, my primary aim was simply just to negotiate a safe path all the way round.

Incidentally, Ridley's verse (see below) tells of an incident-packed bus journey from Balmbra's in Newcastle to a horse race on Stella island.

Crashing on the way, the bus loses a wheel and some of its passengers require medical attention. But those who continue eventually reach the racecourse on a rain-soaked day where they find "spice stalls, an' munkey shows, an' aud wives selling ciders" among other attractions.

As such, it just seemed to be keeping with tradition that I allowed myself a few fizzy ciders in the Bisley pub in Blaydon while gathering my post-race thoughts.

Prevalent among them was a sense of pride in taking part in one of the biggest days in Blaydon's history. However, I did also wonder just how well I might do at the event if I ever managed to train properly for it.

Ah well, there's always next year. Perhaps...








THE BLAYDON RACES
(1862)
Geordie Ridley

Aw went to Blaydon Races, 'twas on the ninth of Joon,
Eiteen hundred an' sixty-two, on a summer's efternoon;
Aw tyuk the 'bus frae Balmbra's, an' she wis heavy laden,
Away we went alang Collingwood Street, that's on the road to Blaydon.

Ah me lads, ye shud have seen us gannin',
We pass'd the foaks upon the road just as they wor stannin';
Thor wes lots o' lads an' lasses there, all wi' smiling faces,
Gawn alang the Scotswood Road, to see the Blaydon Races.
 
We flew past Airmstrang's factory, and up to the "Robin Adair",
Just gannin' doon te the railway bridge, the 'bus wheel flew off there.
The lasses lost their crinolines off, an' the veils that hid their faces,
An' aw got two black eyes an' a broken nose in gan te Blaydon Races.

When we gat the wheel put on away we went agyen,
But them that had their noses broke they cam back ower hyem;
Sum went to the Dispensary an' uthers to Doctor Gibbs,
An' sum to the Infirmary to mend their broken ribs.

Noo when we gat to Paradise thor wes bonny gam begun;
Thor was fower-an-twenty on the 'bus, man, hoo they danced an' sung;
They called on me to sing a sang, aw sung them "Paddy Fagan",
Aw danced a jig an' swung my twig that day aw went to Blaydon.

We flew across the Chain Bridge reet into Blaydon toon,
The bellman he was callin' there, they call him Jackie Broon;
Aw saw him talkin' to sum cheps, an' them he was pursuadin'
To gan an' see Geordy Ridley's show in the Mechanics' Hall at Blaydon.

The rain it poor'd aw the day an' myed the groond quite muddy,
Coffy Johnny had a white hat on - they war shootin' "Whe stole the cuddy?!"
There wes spice stalls an' munkey shows an' aud wives selling ciders,
An' a chep wiv a hapenny roond aboot, shootin' "Noo, me lads, for riders."

Never mind the Jubilee, here's the Blaydon Races

AS the country gets swept away by a patriotic fervour for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, here in Geordieland there is growing excitement at the celebration of another special anniversary.

For, as noted previously on this blog in January, this coming Saturday 9 June marks the 150th anniversary of the Blaydon Races.

Of course, Geordie Day always attracts a variety of celebrations - but this year's date has meant there seems to be even more going on in Tyneside and elsewhere.

Marking the approximate start and the end of the course sung about by Geordie Ridley back in 1862, two flagship events take place at Grey's Monument in Newcastle and Shibdon Pond in Blaydon.

In Newcastle, the centrepiece of the celebrations from 1-5pm includes music, song and dance inspired by the Blaydon Races and its associated folk and music hall traditions. It will conclude with a mass singing of Ridley's verse.

Meanwhile, in Blaydon, a family day from 1-7pm will also feature traditional music hall entertainment as well as local youth marching band 'the Blaydon Buzzers'. Additionally, there will be two magicians, a circus strongman, an antique steam-powered carousel, a 5-a-side football area, and more.

Then, as the sun begins its slow decline at 6pm, the main event begins with the gathering of runners at the bottom of the Groat Market for the 32nd running of the 5.9-mile road race.

The race will wind itself through Newcastle city centre up Collingwood Street before gannin' alang the fabled Scotswood Road past Armstrong's factory.

It then takes in Derwenthaugh and Chainbridge Road, passes the Bisley pub in Blaydon, and finishes this year in the playing fields on Shibdon Road.

The leading runners can expect to be back before 6.30pm while I will just hope to make it all the way round to the finish.

No doubt, by that point, I will be gasping for the complementary beer provided by Wylam Brewery - and, speaking of the booze*, here is a full list of Blaydon Races events, organised in association with the 150th anniversary:
(*Not all events feature alcohol!)

FLAGSHIP EVENTS		Date	Time	Entry
- Grey's Monument, NE1	See link	9 June	1-5pm	Free
- Shibdon Pond, NE21	See link	9 June	1-7pm	Free
MUSIC
- Black Bull, NE21	Folk music concert	7 June	7.30pm	£6
- St Nicholas Cathedral, NE1	Felling Male Voice Choir	8 June	7pm	£10
- The Bridge Hotel, NE1	The Songs of Geordie Ridley	9 June	7.30pm	£6/
- The Three Tuns, Sheriff Hill, NE9	Black Rose (Thin Lizzy tribute)	9 June	9pm	£3^
- The Ware Rooms, NE1	Geordie beer hall/Oompah band	9 June	7pm	£5
IN THE PUB
- The Free Trade Inn, Byker, NE6	Themed quiz Night	6 June	9pm
- The Hotspur, Haymarket, NE1	Beer festival	7-10 Jun	All day	Free
- The Crown Posada, NE1	Beer festival	7-10 Jun	All day	Free
SPORT & LEISURE
- Complete Football Centre, NE3	Five-a-side football	9 June	10am	£70~
- The 32nd Blaydon Race	Newcastle to Blaydon (5.9 mi)	9 June	6pm start	Link
- Newcastle Greyhounds, NE6	Race Night	9 June	6.15pm	Free!
CHURCH SERVICES
- St Nicholas Cathedral, NE1	Service of Celebration	9 June	1pm	Free
- St Cuthbert's Church, NE21	Ecumenical Service	10 June	4pm	Free
EXHIBITIONS/HISTORY TALKS
- Newcastle City Library, NE1	Balmbras Music Hall	til 31 Jul	All day	Free
- Blaydon Leisure Centre, NE21	Blaydon Harriers Exhibition	9 June	8am-4pm	Free
- The Bisley, NE21	Art Exhibition; Live band	9 June	All day	Free>
WALKING TOURS
- Meet at Grey's Monument, NE1	‘Gannin te Blaydon Races’ tour	6 June	7pm	£4
- Meet at Cloth Market, NE1	‘Away we went alang Collingwood Street’ tour	8 & 10 June	10.30am &1pm	£4+
OTHER EVENTS
- Central Station, NE1	Alan Shearer renames a train	6 June	9.50am	Free
- Scotswood Village, NE15	Family event	9 June	4-7pm	Free
- Balmbras, NE1	Last Night in Balmbras Comedy	9 June	7pm	£15
- City Hall, NE1	Blaydon Bash: School Choirs	12 June	6.30pm	£5
GEORDIES IN EXILE
- Clerkenwell, London, EC1	See link	9 June	All day	Free
- 402 Nancy Avenue, Linthicum, Maryland, USA	Blaydon Race Event USA	9 June	12-4.30pm	Free

KEY

/ Sold out, returns only
^ £3; or free entry for anyone who dresses with this great celebration in mind (i.e. cloth caps/braces/hobnailed boots for the lads, bonnets and crinolenes for the lasses etc.)
~ Price per team (up to nine players). For the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
! Reserve places by calling 0191 2105300 and quote "Blaydon Races"
> Limited admission. Contact: Steve Ronchetti 07966496971
+ Pre-booking essential. To book, email info@tomkeating.net or call 0191 4885115

Theatre Royal bash gets stamp of approval

THE THEATRE ROYAL in Newcastle celebrated another landmark birthday with a huge party on Grey Street at the weekend.

Hundreds of Geordies braved freezing temperatures to see a spectacular fireworks and lights show illuminate the Grade I-listed building at the heart of the much-acclaimed Grainger Town area.

The free event was reminiscent of the hourly display upon the tower of the Astronomical Clock in Prague - and served as a wonderful reminder of my trip to the capital of the Czech Republic last October.

Back on Tyneside, this celebration was in very good order. After all, the theatre turned 175 years old yesterday having first been opened on 20 February 1837.

Actually, the original building was gutted by a huge fire in 1899 following a performance of William Shakespeare's 'Scottish play', but the current incarnation - which has stood since 1901 - truly remains a jewel in the crown of Newcastle city centre.

Indeed, it is one of only three places in the country in which the Royal Shakespeare Company plays regularly, the others being London and, of course, Stratford-upon-Avon.

This year's first RSC performance at the Royal - the Taming of the Shrew - starts its run this week on 23 February, continuing until 3 March.

And then, this summer, a production of Julius Caesar will feature for 10 days from 19-28 July as part of the 2012 World Shakespeare Festival.

But, despite the best efforts of the Bard, the Royal is still most famous around Tyneside for putting on a fantastic family pantomime over the Christmas period.

A similarly excitable atmosphere could be found outside the theatre on Sunday as, at the start of each hour between 6-9pm, a harlequin called the Master of Mischief began the festivities.

After the fireworks and lights show, he then beckoned the crowd to see each of the five street performances which were stationed along the length of Grey Street.

These included allusions to Fagin in Oliver Twist, the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella and, my personal favourite, the three witches in Macbeth.

Thankfully, though, there was no sign of "double, double, toil and trouble" at this spectacular event.

And, considering this celebrated 175 years of the Theatre Royal, it can already be assumed that the bicentennial in 2037 will be yet another night to remember!