STORIES FROM SHIELDS
Stories
“South Shields is not just a place to visit - it is a place people feel, remember, and return to.”
The Stories From Shields - Neighbourhood Pilot has successfully captured and articulated a distinctive sense of place rooted in food, coastline and community identity.
Through storytelling, creative production, and placemaking, the project has developed a compelling narrative grounded in real voices and lived experience.
At its core, the pilot demonstrates that South Shields’ greatest strength lies not only in its assets, but in its stories - stories that connect people to place through memory, culture, and emotion.
The programme has created a strong foundation of content, identity, and engagement.
MEET THE STORYTELLERS
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“I would love my kids to come into the business, and take it further, and see if we can get to 200 years”
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“We did a shared Christmas dinner... because I couldn't bear the thought of people being by themselves on Christmas Day.”
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“We’ve welcomed people from around the world for hundred’s of years. Long may that happen.”
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“My Aunt Christine…
She was the one who made the business survive when my Grandfather died”
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“Minchellas ice cream is so interwoven within South Shields.
We’ve been selling ice cream here for 90 years.”
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“Dug the track out, laid the track, all done by hand…
About June of 1972 the full circle, and we’ve been going ever since”
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“They really shaped my understanding of what community is all about.”
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“I travel for food, I used to go 40-50 countries my life, for food, so I know the food"”
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“Sanddancer means something to them… Shields means something to them.”
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“I’ve now lived in this country now more than 40 years, so my sense of community has now grown”
A food and drink heritage trail
Let us show you the incredible food and heritage history of
South Shields via an online digital trail map.
This self-led, guided walking route will take you from the river to the sea, celebrating local businesses and places and giving you a true taste of the area.
STORIES FROM THE PEOPLE
We have asked past and present local residents of South Shields to share with us their favourite memories from the area. Their stories are woven into this trail and we hope that it will help you feel connected to South Shields.
share your stories
From iconic ice cream to salty fish and chips, and radgie seagulls to market memories - what are your Stories From South Shields?
Be part of our storytelling project and share your stories and food memories about South Shields with us by completing a short 5-minute survey.
Answers already collected helped to form part of a month long exhibition at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery in April 2026.
Stories From Shields is a project that is part of the Destination Development Partnership (DDP) pilot, a government-funded initiative for the North East of England, aimed at boosting the regional visitor economy.
