From the Pits to the Pigeon Lofts
Pigeon racing was once understood as a pastime of the elite, but in the twentieth century it established firm roots in Britain’s mining communities – and the bird became known as 'the poor man’s racehorse'.
Emily Ingram is a Freelance Journalist from County Durham. She began writing for music blogs in 2014, before formally launching her career in journalism with an editorial post at NARC. Magazine in 2017.
Since then, she has completed a BA in Multimedia Journalism at the University of Salford and an MA in Gender Studies at the University of Manchester; gained a number of bylines in Tribune and The Morning Star; and in 2021, released her first documentary with funding from Heritage Doncaster. She is now based in South Yorkshire.
Pigeon racing was once understood as a pastime of the elite, but in the twentieth century it established firm roots in Britain’s mining communities – and the bird became known as 'the poor man’s racehorse'.
Interview with John Green about my recently released documentary, 'Until the Fires Go Out: Doncaster's Women and the Fight for Jobs'.
In the 1960s Britain saw the birth of a number of radical film collectives. Groups like Amber, the Leeds Animation Workshop, and the Sheffield Film Co-op were formed to create 'oppositional film': independent cinema that spanned documentary, fiction, and animation to capture remarkable moments in the history of the labour movement.
At half-past five on Saturday 5 February 1972, Peter Clarney, a striking miner living in Barnsley, heard a knock at his door. He answered and was told to get a bag ready for six PM. When he asked where they were going, the response was vague: 'I don't know.
Fifty years ago today, miners across the United Kingdom walked out on strike. This decision sparked the use of flying pickets, country-wide power cuts, and a momentous period of industrial action: it was the first of two strikes that, by the close of 1974, would bring Edward Heath's Conservative government to its knees.
This film unearths the incredible stories of three women - Aggie, Brenda and Margaret - each of whom had a different role to play during the miner's strike of 1984-5 and in the pit camps of the 1990s. Made with funding from Heritage Doncaster's Changing the Record project.
Emily Ingram meets digital archivist ALEX GLEN WILSON, who explains how his work is illuminating Yorkshire’s radical film heritage
On 15 October 1992, Brenda Nixon, a mother-of-two from Doncaster, appeared on the front page of a tabloid newspaper for the first time. Weeks earlier, she had begun drafting a letter to John Major about the dejected state of mining communities across Britain.
In many ways, the working-class woman of 20th century Britain was a Cinderella figure. Mothers, daughters and wives would plug away on the sidelines, providing strong foundations upon which families and communities could flourish. They would then emerge in their droves during flurries of labour activism (such as the Miners' strike of 1984-'85, or Ford Dagenham in 1968) before receding, once again, into relative obscurity.
Amid what can feel like overwhelming times, many activists are ‘choosing their battles’ in order to avoid burnout. EMILY INGRAM explores the issues.
Fashion fans have rallied to the cause of local shops to support them during the pandemic over faceless online brands — and other have stopped shopping completely and started instead to repair clothes. EMILY INGRAM asks: will the #lovedclotheslast movement last?
Picture this: you've booked a remote island getaway, and are wandering up and down the beach. Your pockets are stuffed full of sand, shells and things that have washed up on the shore. You're not certain where your sandals went - oh, and you've taken a hefty dose of hallucinogens.
MANCHESTER WOMEN'S AID claims that victims of domestic abuse in Salford are being forced to fork out costly GP fees for written evidence of their abuse.
ST. LUKE'S church, known as the wedding site of infamous Manchester Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, has fallen into serious disrepair, according to the local clergy.
Whether you're a Guerilla Girl or part of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, it seems that the namesake of an arts collective is often pretty central to the nature of their work. But for Newcastle-based up-and-comers MILK? Not so much.
37 union members have responded to news that Salford City Council plan to axe 14 jobs in the regulatory and urban renewal sectors. Those under threat of redundancy deal with slum landlords, dangerous products and rogue traders across the city.
Imagine the picture-postcard city of Durham: buried behind the bustle of its spindly streets, most would expect to find an arts scene as rich as the heritage of the place itself. But for quite some time, the absence of one all-encompassing cultural hub would stunt the growth of the artistically inclined, forcing them to move elsewhere.
This was my first piece for a national publication - I have since attended and worked for some brilliant Russell Group universities!
Emily Ingram catches a rare glimpse into the personal life of John Lydon, ahead of Public Image Ltd's gig at Newcastle's Riverside on Sunday 20th September.
Emily Ingram chats to the passionate frontman about going it alone and the influence of northern music.
This Saturday marked both a sorrowful and celebratory event for musicians and fans alike in Sunderland: the closure of Pop Recs.
Over the last decade, the festival has held more wildly eccentric events than you can shake a maraca at, from live music and erratic fiestas to deeply innovative art exhibitions.