Coal Face Volume 1 captures the last generation of Washington Miners’ memories and sense of belonging in a changing coalfield community in the ‘Coal Face’ project.  

Funded by Redhills, The Cultural Spring and University College London (UCL), this podcast was accompanied by an exhibition open to the public at Washington F Pit for the whole of September. 2023, a book which is available at https://redhillsdurham.org/shop/coal-face-washington-book/

Visuals created by Andy Martin https://martintype.co.uk/
Stories, writing and podcast by Dr Louise Powell https://louisepowellwriter.wordpress.com/
Audio production by Dr Nick John Williams https://nickjohnwilliams.co.uk/

Coal Face Podcast | Volume 1 | Washington

In Episode 25 I'm joined by playwright, novelist and academic Louise Powell to talk about bias in the creative arts, Northern storytelling and how winning the Sid Chaplin Award changed her life.

Find out more:
https://louisepowellwriter.wordpress.com/
https://louisepowellwriter.wordpress.com/first-stage/
X: @louise__powell
@RedhillsDurham
@NewWritingNorth

Music credit: 'Water of Tyne' performed by Edinburgh University Brass Band (2009) arranged by Jack Stobbs, edited and scored for Brass Band by David Dye. Used with kind permission of the publisher, arranger and performers.

Episode 25: Louise Powell

50 years on from the closure of the last colliery in Washington, what does it mean to have mining heritage in the area? Dr Louise Powell speaks to five fascinating people who talk about what it was like to live alongside a miner – or to go ‘down the pit’ yourself.

The COAL FACE podcast has been created to accompany a broader project which includes publications of photography by Andy Martin and poetry by Dr Louise Powell, as well as exhibitions of their work at Washington F-Pit Museum (2024) and Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens (2025). The podcast is split into two, three episode series, the first of which offers a documentary-style exploration of the stories of fifteen people with close connections to mining in Washington. The second series, meanwhile, weaves interviews and soundscapes around the poetry that Powell wrote for the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens exhibition. Both series are edited and produced by acclaimed sound designer Nick John Williams. 


MUSIC CREDITS:
The song ‘Farewell to Cotia’, written by Jock Purdon, is performed by Bill Elliott.
The song ‘Just One Spark’, written by Benny Graham, is performed by Bill Elliott.


EPISODE CREDITS:
‘Coal Face Washington: Reality’ was written and narrated by Dr Louise Powell, and audio edited and produced by Nick John Williams. It features clips from interviews with Joan Sutherland, Jenny Wells, Mick Ford, Lynne Ford and Steve Wood. Additional recordings were made by Andy Martin. 

‘Coal Face Washington: Reality’ is the second in a series of three episodes which explore Washington’s mining heritage as part of the broader Coal Face project. It is supported using public funding from Arts Council England, and delivered in partnership with University College London, Redhills Durham, The Cultural Spring and Sunderland Culture. Special thanks must also go to Washington Millennium Centre for their support of the Washington phase of the project.   

Coal Face Podcast Series 1 Episode 2: Reality

Dr Louise Powell

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