Submit your stories of Hendon and the East End for special song-writing project

As the former Holy Trinity Church gets ready to open its doors as 17Nineteen, the new culture and heritage venue has teamed up with We Make Culture CIC to gather personal and community stories about Hendon and the East End to turn into songs.
A song-writing project will honour the people and places of Hendon and the East EndA song-writing project will honour the people and places of Hendon and the East End
A song-writing project will honour the people and places of Hendon and the East End

Local musicians Paige Temperley and Holly Rees will be working with residents who attend groups at community organisations, such as Sunderland Mind, Sunderland Maritime Heritage and Back on the Map, and with 17Nineteen’s team volunteer researchers, the History Detectives, to uncover untold stories from Sunderland’s past.

The musicians will then use the stories gathered to write unique songs, which will be played at the opening of the newly-renovated Holy Trinity Church in November, as well as at community gigs in the area. They will also be used to form a unique song-trail around the East End, which will be accessed via your phone.

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Once at the heart of old Sunderland housing the old town’s council chamber and library, Holy Trinity Church in the East End played a vital role in the community, but in more recent decades the Grade I-listed building had fallen into disrepair.

Holy Trinity Church in the East End is being transformed into 17NineteenHoly Trinity Church in the East End is being transformed into 17Nineteen
Holy Trinity Church in the East End is being transformed into 17Nineteen

Laura Brewis, founder and project manager of Sunderland-based We Make Culture CIC, said: “We are really excited to start this project in the East End. The area around Holy Trinity has such a unique place in Sunderland’s history and we know there are so many amazing unrecorded personal stories of people from this area. We hope that telling these stories in song creates a unique record of the history of the area.”

Lily Daniels, participation and engagement officer at 17Nineteen, said: “Our volunteers have been uncovering stories ranging from tiny glimpses into everyday life to outlandish figures, so the opportunity to share this rich history with these incredible musicians is sensational."

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If you have a story you would like to submit to the project, email [email protected] or via an online form on We Make Culture CIC’s

The new culture and heritage venue will reopen in November after extensive renovation worksThe new culture and heritage venue will reopen in November after extensive renovation works
The new culture and heritage venue will reopen in November after extensive renovation works

website: https://www.wemakeculture.co.uk/songs-of-the-streets. We Make Culture CIC are also happy to arrange a chat by phone or in person.

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