Fans of South-Tyneside based documentary maker Gary Wilkinson are in for a real treat with a trio of films being screened next week about strong women in the North East.
Local Poet and playwright Tom Kelly will introduce the afternoon film show entitled Ellen, Rosemary and the Dollys when the Wednesday Heritage Club meets in the Library Theatre at Central Library,South Shields, on 13 April at 2pm.
The first documentary film, Jarrow Voices, will look at Ellen Wilkinson’s contribution to the Jarrow Crusade. She served as Jarrow’s MP from 1935, until her sudden death in 1947.
This will be followed by Breaking Ground featuring interviews with Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp, a leading archaeologist, who is well-known locally as the leader of the ground-breaking excavations at the twin monasteries of Monkwearmouth and Jarrow, home to the Venerable Bede. The first female professor appointed at Durham University she was a leading figure in the campaign to elevate the twin monasteries to World Heritage status.
The final film of the afternoon One Hundred Thousand Reasons tells the story of the eight women behind The Dolly Mixtures variety act which was created after one of their husbands was diagnosed with cancer in 1972. For 15 years they performed in working men’s clubs across the North East raising over £100,000 to fight cancer.
Tickets for the event are £1 each. They are available from the Reference Department at the Central Library, South Shields, or telephone (0191) 4242 7864 to reserve a ticket or for further information.