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It's a canny night out there tonight,

Police and/or ambulances every where People vomiting Ugly, unpleasant people (mingers – I had to look it up) Excessively drunk girls Mid-afternoon drunkenness Fist-fighting females Fighting everywhere People urinating everywhere That’s a bleak description of the town and its inhabitants (assuming that they weren’t visitors) during the bank holiday festivities. It makes very disturbing reading - not least because it’s being blazoned out for the entire world and it’s granny to read. It is, however, only one person’s account of events and one person cannot possibly be everywhere all of the time – despite reports of things happening “all owa the place”. Further, the events are described in terms that are somewhat vague, making it rather difficult to get a grasp of the magnitude of the problem. It would be nice to get the reported bad behavior put into some kind of perspective, if for no other reason than to give prospective business investors, house-buyers and visitors to Bedlington a fair and unbiased picture not only of the town but even of the Bedlington people who are their prospective customers, neighbours and perhaps colleagues. Can we add some facts and figures to the account please? Moe, it would be nice if you could share some details related to the size of the problem you describe. It would also be useful to know how many others witnessed any of the events described. How many people were in Bedlington for the event? An estimate will do if you don’t have access to official figures. Did you see any blue light vehicles? How many? Did you see anybody vomiting? How many? Did you see any ugly, unpleasant people? How many? Did you see any girls who were excessively drunk? How many? Did you see any excessively drunk girls, mid-afternoon? How many? Did you see anyone fighting? How many? Did you see any girls engaged in fist-fighting? How many? Did you see anybody urinating while standing? How many? Did you see anybody urinating while squatting? How many? (Children under school age should not be included when answering the last two questions).

It is indeed Foxy. Although it's a canny night most nights if you are a "Glass Half Full" type of person.

You didn't say every one of them my good man, Moe; you did not, however, mention anything BUT the poor behaviour you witnessed, which led me to believe that was entirely everything you saw! Of course, I know it was not, as I know you will also have seen many people enjoying themselves in a perfectly acceptable manner, as did my friends. Yet, you see fit not to talk about them (and, to be frank, there's little doubt they make up the majority). So, why not say 'well how lovely it was to see so many people out enjoying themselves; such a pity there were a few who made idiots of themselves etc'? As that would clearly be a truer picture of the scene, would it not? Instead, you see fit to paint only the blacker picture. A pity, really, when the general consensus is that it was a good day had by all but the few who can't take their drink.

Oh, I stand corrected! I didn't know that every single person who was out on Sunday afternoon was drunk, vomiting, urinating and fighting! I tell you what, find me a town on any Saturday night that doesn't have its share of idiots. As I said above, I won't tar everyone with the same brush. I've talked to plenty of my friends who were out on Bedlington Front Street for Bedrock (and I have quite a lot, because I'm a nice sort of guy!) and most for the duration; not one got so drunk they fell over; none took a leak in the street; none threw up in public, and none got into a fight. So that's two dozen people who were not behaving as described, perhaps they were the only ones? I do think, Moe, that you're so set on finding the negatives, you miss the fact that a hell of a lot of people had a great day out, without causing an ounce of bother. Just like you or I would do.

i have an original of the photo. and as mentioned, #7 was “meself” - walter dmytrenko. we lived down Vulcan Way on hirst terrace 1950-1955, and i would wander thru the colliery lands or the otherway thru the fields to the blyth. billy elliot was me in a way . . . best wishes . . . w

I would move away if I was a "Glass Half Empty"type @Ovalteeny😉

Talking about pigs lugs, I wonder how the Bedlington Tesco's development is progressing?

Hi all you kind folks on the site here! Your greetings are really welcomed and appreciated by me!! I am still recovering.and getting better each day,and as i always maintain...there are a lot of people in the world who are much worse off than any of us..so that helps to perk me up a lot,while i have the deepest sympathy, especially for those poor people where disasters have struck across the globe. Noo..!....Lone Ranger,a while back,i had you all but pinned down,and gave a lot of reasons and clues as to how i deduced your name,but you never sort of let me know that i was right! If you check out the Durham mining museum link to fatalities at High Pit,you will find the name of the shunter who was killed at the High Pit in the mid-sixties. I can remember the lad as vividly as if he was standing next to me now.He was a big stocky lad,wore glasses,and the reason i remember him so well was because....unfortunately,i have to be honest here,we didn't get on very well,before he had his terrible accident. His name was Ronald[Ronnie] Hunt,and he didn't have the most pleasant nature or attitude towards a lot of people,but he particularly used to have a go at me every time he saw me. I think it was because i stood out from the crowd with my long hair,and the fact that i was one of those "noisy gew-gaa" players,that was starting to appear in every working men's club in the north-east at that time. A lot of the old-timers really hated the young rock'n'roll kids,with thier "noisy ampleeefiiaas"...[as they used to say..!] When i say a lot,it was still a minority,otherwise how did we get return bookings all the time,if we were so bad?!! Ronnie Hunt was 29 yrs old when he was fatally injured by the truck,but he was an "old man" to us young teenagers,at the time!! Now i am 70 next year,and i am one of those "old men" who cannot stand a lot of the young kids' music nowadays!!! I guess every generation has always been the same throughout times gone by. The only difference is that i like to think i am a bit more tolerant than people like my father was,when was young!

Anybody noticed hoo once a get wound up,a tek sum stopping!! A write like a taak.....!Sorry if aav hogged the channel....[C.B.-speak...circa 1981!]

Having worked in the most atrocious conditions,at Choppington High Pit,for six years,from age 15years,straight from my school desk,it was a pleasure to find that,generally speaking,conditions weren't too bad at Bedltn Aad pit. The first day doon,we[me high pit marra's and me..6 of us in sets of two's],went in ti thi Harvey Seam, it was a bit damp roond the edges of wor byeut soles,and hellish thick wi dust on the groond in some places. We stopped haaf way in forra blaa,[ a rest..]cos it was very warm,with poor ventilation,making breathing difficult,as the dust was kicked up into the air,by the boots of all the men in front. As we got our breath back,and cooled doon a bit,one of the aad pit men turned to us Choppington men,and said...."Was it as rough as this doon thi High Pit?...!" Me and my marra's all started laughing,and thought he was just winding us up!......He wasn't!! Those men at the aad pit hadn't seen any other pit from them leaving school,so they thought they had bad conditions...... Of course when we said this pit was like a palace,[a weel -used pit term!],compared ti High Pit,we were met with loads of abuse instantly,as you would expect,but it was true. When all thi other pits like North Seaton,Hartford,Hartley,Seaton Delaval,Choppington Low pit,Seghill, closed,the Coal Board transferred small pockets of men from each pit to Choppington High Pit,and every man from every pit said the same!..."They closed thi wrang bliddy pit...this is just a tetty pit,a pig-cree would be better than this......" There were men being hurt or fatally injured very frequently,like i never saw at any other pit i worked at since.....it was so bad. My Father started the High Pit aged 14 years,from school,in 1929,and he told me when i started,that "Ye'll get bliddy killed doon that bugga,it's aal rough and ready.....ya not gaan doon theor,aal see ti that...!" Whey,he didn't see ti that,cos a did gaan doon that bugga,and yes,i did get injured many a time,but fortunately,aam still here ti tell the tales aboot thi pit!

I worked at that pit for six years,and knew most of the 900 men that also worked there,some only by nickname....as lots of the men only knew me by Wilma,i remember all the workings,especially the latter years,cos i was on composite work,[or development work as it was also known as....],and i was on winning out all the new coal faces. Jimmy Gallagher,[sadly Deceased..R.I.P.Jim..],was the fastest winderman at the pit,and when you worked at the shaft bottom,as i did,at times when our cavil was off,you knew without being told!!The cages came down as if the rope had snapped...so fast! This meant that in his shift,he would wind more scores of coal than other windermen,with no disrespect to any of those other lads,cos they knew it was true!....and he only had one eye....smashing lad was Jimmy,also my Neighbour for a lot of years. Sadly missed by all who knew him.

Aye Eggy,it's queer hoo sum things just dinna cum ti mind when yi want thim tae! Aam writing me life story,from as far back as a can remember,aboot two years aad,noo ivry detail aav put in me story is fact and as accurate as me vivid memories allow,yet a canna mind sum simple details! Book one is finished,which charts me life up ti starting the pits from school aged 15 years. Aav covered aal the things we did as laddies growing up,like playing owa thi opencast,at Bedlington,in 1954,gaan doon thi free woods at Bedltn,pinchin' apples,catapults,peashooters,paper aeroplanes,yi naa thi stuff laddies did post-war! Aam just at the start of book two,which is charting me whole 28 years mining experiences,and aam just up ti thi age of 17 years,with aalriddy owa 200 pages!! Tha'al be nae bugga alive on earth ti read me byeuk,by thi time aam finished it,so aal caal it Doomsday No 2!!!!! Will anybody be interested in reading wat an aad bugga like me did in an 18" coal seam,soaking wet,and at risk of being crushed by roof falls of stone,evry day??!!