A week ago today, Side Gallery in Newcastle closed its doors, due to funding cuts and the cost-of-living crisis. Devastating news for all those who know and love this place, and admire all the good work it does to showcase the very best of documentary photography. Side have been an integral part of Newcastle’s Quayside since they opened their doors as a Gallery space and cinema in 1977, though the work as a collective to document the truth about life and living in the North East of England had begun in 1968.
This is how they describe the important work they do:
“For over 45 years, Side has been a dedicated home to documentary film and photography. Side’s mission is to be an agent for change through the commission, exhibition, and preservation of world-class visual stories that highlight social concerns and celebrate diverse lives & landscapes across the Northeast, UK, and the globe.
Now more than ever, we must protect this vital and freely accessible cultural resource so it can continue to provide an essential public platform for these important stories.”
Side have launched a campaign to #saveside and I have spent the last week trying to think how I could contribute to it. Like so many families in the UK and around the world just now, money is a very real struggle. And so, I have decided to offer you the chance to win one of my handmade patchwork quilts. A quilt for a quid. £1. One single pound sterling. My quilts are made from recycled cotton patches, batted with a bamboo blend wadding, backed with recycled cotton sheeting and hand stitched. They are heirloom quilts, made to last a lifetime, each one worth upwards of £200. And the one pictured here, which is single sized and super snuggly, could be yours.
From your £1 donation, 50p will go directly to Side, and the rest, after fees are paid, will help my little family survive a little longer in these crazy times. Every £1 donation gets you a ticket in the bowl to win the quilt. If you are in the UK and win, I’ll deliver your prize for free. If you are overseas, I’ll ask you to pay for tracked and signed postage to wherever you are. You can enter from anywhere in the world. I’ll draw the winning ticket on 24th May, and the money we have raised together will go to Side on that day.
You can enter here: WIN A QUILT FOR A QUID #SAVESIDE
Thank you so much for reading, and for supporting Side (and my kids and I!!)
thephoenixgreen 