Friday 23 October Story Telling workshop and performance.
Absolutely no experience necessary for this adventure into creating stories and performance. Delve into Weardale’s buried past with story teller Jessie McMeekin and musician Sam Slatcher. 2 p.m. 5.00 p.m. light supper included, to be followed by performance at 6.30 p.m. St. John’s Chapel Town Hall.
Your friends and family will be amazed! This is a FREE event supported by a community grant from the North Pennines National Landscape team through the Land of Lead and Silver project which is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England.
Saturday 24 October With the focus firmly on local authors and books about Weardale we are delighted to be holding our 2026 Authors’ Event at St. John’s Chapel Town Hall. Doors open at 10.30 a.m. when you can grab a cuppa and and a slice of cake and browse the bookstalls before settling in to enjoy the day.
Lunch will be available courtesy of Jo Hayes and her team and all profits from catering go to the Weardale food bank. This is a FREE event, no need to book, drop in during the day.
Timings will be posted on our website.
Rebecca Phillipson grew up in Crook, where she still lives, and used to run her own business in Stanhope. She has recently published her highly praised first novel. She was inspired to write How to Get Away with Murder after starting a true-crime blog during the pandemic and becoming fascinated by the ways in which serial killers are treated like celebrities.
Have you been following the Corned Beef Chronicles? Phil Mews is a WordFest regular. His first book was Orphan Boys, followed by The Girl on the Red Carpet, a witty romance set in the world of TV and celebrities. The Corned Beef Chronicles are his hilarious, on-going account of the adventures of disreputable pensioners Ivy and Maureen.
Margaret Manchester needs no introduction to her followers in Weardale. She has written a series of acclaimed historical romances set in the dale and has recently produced a brand new book, Weardale’s Peculiar Past, a fascinating collection of extraordinary true stories from Weardale’s rich history.
Weardale above and Beneath is a local history and heritage book written by Peter Ryder with Ben Coutts, illustrated by John Longstaff. It is an eminently readable, enjoyable book that explores the surface landscape and underground features of Weardale.
