Producing : How a film and TV village could reshape Hartlepool by Pat Alexander

Pat Alexander hi Pat, Hartlepool is my home town.

As a kid, this area of Lynn Street and Whitby Street was a vibrant shopping area until the 80s suffered an industrial decline.

My apprenticeship as a Sparky was in Church Street, which is at the top of those two streets and Church Street appeared in Ridley Scott’s first film, The Boy and Bicycle back in the early 60s, I think.

I was up there a couple of weeks ago and Northern Studios were having an open weekend event, asking people to visit and share their views on the new developments.

I loved this linking with educational institutions, as the young people of the area need to have hope, when they leave school.

"By linking with the colleges the production village will benefit from their views and skills and be able to prepare them for the future."

This could potentially resurrected the economic situation in the town, which has suffered greatly since those dark days of Margaret Thatcher. Here’s hoping for great things!

Thanks for the share!

Amazing Geoff Hall, never realized you were from there! As someone from Louisiana who saw in the late aughts/early 10s how building film/TV infrastructure can evolve a community and provide large economic impact, it really is an exciting thing so long as the investments are focused on long term growth in tandem with short term rebate-driven profits.

Pat Alexander thank you Pat. Yes, it is much needed investment for the town, which has suffered years of asset stripping. Let's hope it stimulates the economy long-term.

Pat Alexander here’s how it was covered in the local paper.