On Saturday 22nd August 2009 at exactly 1230pm The Dunston Silver Band struck up at Laburnum Grove Sunniside to march down to Sunniside Social Club to mark the beginning of the book/DVD launch 'Like Carrying Coals to Newcastle' and 'Pontop Pike to the Tyne'.

We were again most grateful to our Member of Parliament Dave Anderson for bringing us a Coal Mining Banner, assembling it for us and marching proudly in front of it.

The band turned into the side of Sunniside Club and continued to play at the main entrance. A crowd gathered to enjoy the music including a number of small children.

Following the showing of the DVD 'From Pontop Pike To The Tyne & The Colliery Villages Along The Way. Photographed on the left,Mr Tony Forster the Secretary of Sunniside Social Club presented Dave Anderson MP with Honorary Life Membership of the Club, The first time this honor has been awarded.

Photographed on the right, Colin Douglas Society Chairman presented Dave Anderson MP with Honorary Life Membership of the Sunniside History Society.

The Dunston Silver Band entered the room and continued to play to a very appreciative audience

The entire event was a resounding success, it was agreed by all that we had hired an excellent band. It was appropriate that the band came from Dunston the village at the end of our chain.

On Friday 4th September 2009 a further publicity launch took place at BEAMISH MUSEUM with special guests including Beamish Director Richard Evans, the Mayor of Gateshead, Dave Anderson MP, Richard Evans, Representatives from Gateshead and Durham Libraries, Representatives from GVOQ and other local organisations.

The event was extremely successful and has lead to an immediate surge in sales from a wide range of organisations listed below.

From Pontop Pike to the Tyne When the Sunniside & District History Society began the Waggonway Project we took a collective and conscious decision to ensure that the book and DVD differed in format. At one time waggonways spread across our region similar in construction to a spiders web. For this DVD content we selected sections which would be of particular interest to our members and the wider community. We filmed and conducted on site interviews following the route which linked our chain of collieries and villages from Pontop Pike to the River Tyne. It is highly unlikely that a similar project could ever be repeated, nature is gradually reclaiming the ground, the waggonway routes and colliery sites are disappearing. We are therefore very pleased that we have completed the project and amassed an archive film record as a permanent reminder of that most important part of our heritage. In constructing the DVD approx. one hour long, we relied on the local knowledge and experience of friends and colleagues who allowed us to interview them on site, we are grateful to Hylton Marrs, Ernie Yard, Tom Hall, Joan Hudson and the late Albert Hodd for giving us of their time and patience.

Noel Adamson & Francis G Newman

Our local Member of Parliament Dave Anderson (pictured) takes a great interest in the activities of our History Society. He was kind enough to introduce the DVD whilst standing in front of the coal mine at Beamish Museum. He also introduced the book and without his help throughout the project, it is a fact that the launch day would not have been such a resounding success. In recognition of his support Dave was presented with Honorary Life Membership of the Society. In recognition of his hard work in the community Dave was also presented with Honorary Life Membership of Sunniside Social Club, the first man to achieve that honor.

The North-East, and especially the area around Whickham, Sunniside, Tanfield, Marley Hill, and Beamish has a long and rich industrial heritage, particularly in those activities associated with extracting, transporting, and utilising coal. Over a period of some 500 years, the entire area became covered with mining activity and associated industries; and was criss-crossed by the vital transport links needed to shift the coal from the pits to the river Tyne. This A4 size book, written by two local amateur historians, and the accompanying DVD provides a detailed account of one particularly famous transport link – the Tanfield Way. This route started life as a simple wain road used by pack animals, then became a wooden waggonway, and ended its days as a bustling railway. A small section - the ‘Tanfield Railway’ has now been restored and is a thriving tourist attraction. Incorporating some new research and a wealth of photographs and illustrations (some never reproduced before) this account covers the development of coal extraction and transportation in the area, and focuses on some of the individuals who were responsible for driving forward the technological, industrial, and social changes that enabled the North-East to become one of the richest coal producers and exporters in the World.

THE BOOK/DVD CAN BE PURCHASED AT NEWCASTLE CITY LIBRARY, GATESHEAD CENTRAL LIBRARY, INCLUDING WHICKHAM LIBRARY, DUNSTON LIBRARY, ROWLANDS GILL LIBRARY. DURHAM COUNTY LIBRARY, INCLUDING STANLEY, CONSETT AND DURHAM CLAYPORT MILLENIUM PLACE. AT NORTHERN HERITAGE, SUNNISIDE SOCIAL CLUB, SUNNISIDE POST OFFICE, NEWCASTLE ARTS CENTRE, ROBINSONS IN THE GRAINGER MARKET NEWCASTLE, THE WOODHORN MINING MUSEUM, BEAMISH MUSEUM, THE DISCOVERY MUSEUM NEWCASTLE, STEVENS (EVENING CHRONICLE) SHOP, FRONT STREET STANLEY AND THE POST OFFICE AND GENERAL DEALERS THE LEAZES.