First Published Works (Hartley Mining Disaster & Elche)

Writing is always something I have wanted to do but found little time for. Things like earning a living, raising a family and generally having fun tended to take precedent. Now, the family have grown, I have retired from my paid employment and I can only take 'fun' in small doses, so I no longer have any excuses.


I have to say that I'm not one of these people who must sit down at 8.00 in the morning and write for 4 hours. I only write when the muse strikes. Ideas usually come to me when I'm doing other things, often when I'm out walking on my own. As I have a great interest in history (local and otherwise), I was aware that 2012 was the 160th anniversary of the dreadful accident that occurred at the coal pit in the small village of New Hartley in south east Northumberland back in 1862. A total of 204 men and boys (some as young as 10) lost their lives. Almost every household in the village lost someone that day. Some lost as many as five as husbands and sons were taken.


To commemorate the anniversary, I decided to research and write an article. Once I was satisfied with it I then took the plunge and sent it off to North East Life magazine for them to consider publication.


It came as a complete surprise when I received a very quick reply from Paul Mackenzie, the editor saying he was interested in my piece and subsequently my article and one of my photographs were published over two pages of the January 2012 issue.


It was quite a thrill to see my work in print but my pleasure was tempered somewhat by the fact that my words had been severely edited. I almost felt that it was not my work any longer but at least I had a byline and when submitting further work, I could truthfully claim that I had had my work published. In the competitive world of writing and publishing, this appears to be quite important.

I have today received a copy of the Spring 2012 issue of Living Spain magazine and this contains my second published work. Spread across no fewer than four glossy pages are my article and twelve of my original photos on the Spanish city of Elche. Obviously this has pleased me but what has made it most satisfying is the fact that the words are my own as they were originally written. I now truly feel that I have had my work recognised and published. The cheque winging its way towards me is of secondary importance to the confidence it has given me to carry on.


Incidentally in case you were wondering, the above photographs are of the memorial to the miners who died in Hartley. The memorial is in the churchyard of St Alban's in the village of Earsdon, near to Whitley Bay. Most of those who perished were buried there.


You can find information about the church and village at the following website:-
http://www.northumbria.info/Pages/earsdon.html

The following are a few photos of Elche.