An edition of the Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme ‘Briefing’ begins with a filmed report on the Hartlepool People’s Centre, a community resource which provides outreach activities for some of the towns 10,000 unemployed. Is this a vision of a post-industrial life and what opportunities does it bring? In the second part of the programme presenter Stuart McNeil holds two studio discussions on the new SDP-Liberal Alliance asking if they are a serious alterative to Labour or the...

An edition of the Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme ‘Briefing’ begins with a filmed report on the Hartlepool People’s Centre, a community resource which provides outreach activities for some of the towns 10,000 unemployed. Is this a vision of a post-industrial life and what opportunities does it bring? In the second part of the programme presenter Stuart McNeil holds two studio discussions on the new SDP-Liberal Alliance asking if they are a serious alterative to Labour or the Conservatives in the Northeast? Title: Tyne Tees Briefing In the Tyne Tees Television studio in Newcastle presenter Stuart McNeil introduces this edition beginning with a filmed report on the work of the Hartlepool People’s Centre in town where a quarter of the working-age population are unemployed. From a piece of derelict ground overlooking Hartlepool, the bell tower of Christ Church at the far end of Church Street in the distance. The church is intercut with views of the town seen from an elevated position. Joe Avent rides through Hartlepool on his bicycle, seating behind him his child. In voiceover he talks about how her first heard about the Hartlepool People’s Centre, the activities, and classes he has taken there and the facilities it offers him and his wife. Riding behind Joe is his wife Pat who is also riding with their other child. Inside the centre’s creche Joe and Pat drop off their children. As young mothers play with their children, in voiceover Chris Hart Co-ordinating Manager talks about how the centre was started, how many children it often looks after and about how the centre is used by Hartlepool people. Chris provides more details of what the centre does for those who use it, she explains they are whatever those who come to the centre want them to be. As she sits at a desk writing a letter Chris explains what her role is. She takes a telephone call and turns towards two female volunteers working beside her. Outside a large colourful sign attached to the building reads ‘Welcome to… Hartlepool People’s Centre. Ask Inside about FREE Activities’. Over external views of the building Chris talks about the renovations that were needed to be done before it opened. Inside two men shovels plaster into wheelbarrows before pouring it down a chute into a skip below, around them others at work renovating a classroom. In voiceover Chris talks about other works she would like to do but is limited by the centres capital. In a classroom a music workshop with tutor Tony Kramer teaching his pupils how to play the piano. In voiceover he talks about how he started at the centre and the need for such lessons. He explains that he is a gas fitter by trade and has been unemployed for three years, he remembers leisure time being a lot shorter when he was working. Now he sees it as ‘enforced leisure time’. In the centres recording studio Jeff Trotter works the sound equipment recording a track of a local band Reel-to-Reel performing in the sound booth. In voiceover he talks about how he became involved with the centre and the roles he has filled there leading to working in the studio as an engineer. With the song coming to an end Jeff speaks with the band before changing the magnetic tape. He explains that he would like to work and earn a wage again, but in the meantime it’s a purpose to get out of bed in the morning. In the booth the three members of Reel-to-Reel Ian Horner, John McGraham and Mick Purvis tune their instruments. In voiceover Jeff explaining how they became involved with the centre and how they and now receives £40 a week on the governments Enterprise Allowance Scheme. With their instruments tuned the band begins to perform a song cutting to them performing it inside a local night club and wearing matching outfits. As the music continues, the band rides together in a van with Ian Horner talking about how they formed and going professional. At a venue they begin to unload their instruments setting up inside with Ian talking about a loan they got from a Cleveland Co-operative agency to buy equipment and start as a limited company. As he sets up his drum kit Mick Purvis talks about how he joined the band via the local Job Centre as well as his experience of being unemployed. As John McGraham tunes his guitar, he talks about his last job working at a Butlin’s holiday camp, being on the dole and joining the People’s Centre. With John McGraham talking about the first song he and Ian wrote for the band, the film cuts to them performing said song ‘Don’t Walk Away’ on a stage in the club. As the song continues, he talks about the hopes he has for the band becoming a success. Sitting in an armchair Jean Tabley looks through a scrapbook of newspaper clips relating to Reel-to-Reel. She talks about her relationship to the band and a poem she has written called ‘Men of Steel’ about the closure of the plate mill at the steelworks that has been put to music by the band. In an office at the People’s Centre Jean type an article ‘What ON in Hartlepool’, in voiceover she explains the work she does as a volunteer at the centre with a focus on their advertising and press releases. At home sitting at the dining room table, she works on a poem and in voiceover she talks about her writing. With Jean reads her poem ‘Men of Steel’ in voiceover a montage featuring her on Seaton Carew beach, views of the closed British Steel plate mill and Hartlepool young people ending with her back at the table. At Hartlepool Docks Norman Watson takes a photograph with his Minolta camera before talking with a group of five other men around him. In the darkroom at the people’s centre Noman talks about his interest in photography and his involvement at the centre and working with a group of other photographic enthusiast to run a course. Back at the dock the group discuss taking a photograph of a wooden boat which has been taken out of the water and sits on the dockside. With the group walking around the dockyard taking photographs, Norman explains that doesn’t believe he will ever have a paid job again and does this work as away of occupying his mind. Moored at the dock the 40-gun steam-powered frigate HMS Warrior being restored, one of the men takes a photograph of the figurehead on the bow of the ship. A montage of HMS Warrior changes to Bill Stevenson the Project Manager who explains the reason why the ship was towed to Hartlepool for restoration was because of the towns pool of skilled shipwrights both employed and unemployed. Inside a factory unit nearby members of the restoration team working on various section of the ship. Former shipwright Arthur White talks about his pride with regards the work that has been done, around him other men working with both wood and metal. From the deck of Warrior the dockside and restoration workshops, in voiceover Bill Stevenson explains that he hopes with the support of the Hartlepool Corporation another ship may soon arrive for restoration at Hartlepool. If this happens then those currently working on the Warrior project could become permanently employed. The nearby workshop of the Cleveland Council of Churches Unemployment Programme (CCUP). Inside Tony Mason CCUP Organiser explains the formation of the workshop was to lesson the impact of unemployment in the town. Inside one of the workshops men working with wood, in voiceover Tony Mason talks about the growth of the centre. With Tony providing details on the centre’s work on HMS Warrior men in another workshop work with leather while another polishes the ships bell. Onboard Warrior a historic recreation featuring tables, hammocks and canon some of which were produced at the centre. Returning to Tony Mason he talks about other classes that are available including Taekwondo. In a classroom a group of young men taking part in a Taekwondo class, in voiceover their instructor John Dawson talks about the benefits of the sport and how he came to teach classes at the Hartlepool People’s Centre and being employed part-time by the CCUP. Filmed in slow-motion two men fighting watched by John Dawson who believes one of them has a future in the sport and could possibly represent Great Britain at the next Olympics. In a sports hall Tony Kramer’s wife Karen plays a game of badminton, she talks in voiceover about how she became involved with the centre through her husband and the work that she does there as a volunteer. She also talks about passing a Sports Leaders Award course at Hartlepool College of Further Education and hope to start a children’s club at the centre. Three students walk into the Hartlepool College of Further Education, inside Karen Kramer walks along a corridor passing a ‘Robotics’ workshop. In voiceover Bill Orley Course Skills Project Leader talks about the changing role of the college taking account of the community situation. On the door of the workshop a poster advertising SCOPE which Bill Orley explains gives unemployed people a chance to retrain. In the workshops a tutor walks around his classroom passing students using robots and computers. In another classroom women taking part in a hairdressing course. Returning to Bill Orley he provides more information about SCOPE. Karen Kramer leaves the Hartlepool College of Further Education changing to her and husband Tony coming off the beach with their dogs onto the Town Wall on the Hartlepool Headland. As the walk along the path, in voiceover Karen talks about what life was like before the Hartlepool People’s Centre and how things have improved since it opened. She talks about the friends they have made all of whom are unemployed and living with hardly any money. Title: End of Part One Part Two Returning to the Tyne Tees studio presenter Stuart McNeil speaks with Laurence Tasker, Head of Administrative and Social Studies at Teesside Polytechnic about a recent national opinion poll indicating the SDP-Liberal Alliance is a potential serious alternative to Labour and the Conservatives, is the pole data reflected in Northeast? A montage of images of Brecon and Radnorshire in Wales where the SDP-Liberal Alliance candidate won a recent by-election by a small margin. Back in the Tyne Tees studio Stuart McNeil holds a discussion with six Alliance members, three from the SDP and three Liberals, about the possibility of the alliance wining seat within the Northeast. Those taking are John Shipley Liberal City Councillor for Newcastle, Alan Sykes Liberal County Councillor for Cleveland, Rosemary Brownlow SDP District Councillor for Blyth Valley, Euan Robson Liberal County Council for Northumberland, David Stoker prospective SDP parliamentary candidate for Durham City and Suzanne Fletcher Liberal District Councillor for Stockton. Two clips from an edition of ‘Face the Press’ dated 2nd February 1986 and an interview with David Steel and ‘The Sunday Programme’ the same day and an interview by David Frost with David Owen. Both men talk about their dual leadership role within the SDP-Liberal Alliance. Back in the Tyne Tees Studio Stuart McNeil holds a second discussion asking the question will the two leaders convince the electorate? Joining Stuart is Ian Wrigglesworth SDP MP for Stockton South, Alan Beith Liberal MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed and Laurence Tasker again from Teesside Polytechnic. Stuart McNeil brings both the discussion and programme to an end with details of the next edition which will look at miners’ wives and their activities both during and after the 1984-85 Miners Strike. Credit: Executive Producer Michael Partington Film Camera Chris Sutcliffe Film Sound Ian Richardson Film Editor Andrew Gleave-Coley Film Directors Rob Cowley, John Reay Programme Associate Stuart Todd Production Team Ian Breach, Shirley Hewitt, Ed Skelding Associate Producer Paul Black, Ian Krause Studio Director Bernard Preston Producer Bob Farnworth End title: Tyne Tees. © Tyne Tees Television Ltd. MCMLXXXVI