CRAGHEAD REVISITED

Angela's adopted brothers and sister

Angela Bruce, well-known actress of stage and screen revisits her former home town of Craghead in County Durham. Join her as she looks back at how this mining community has changed.

Like many villages in the 1950's, Craghead was a thriving mining community employing more than 1600 people.

It was once the life blood of the area and had an optimistic tight knit community spirit.

Craghead in the 1950's

But in 1969 all this changed when Craghead Colliery closed its doors for the last time. The impact on the local community was devastating.

Angela Bruce grew up in this small village and left in 1970, a year after the pit had closed.

Inside Out invited her back for the first time to see how it has changed.

Angela's Story

Angela came to the village by chance when she was three. She was born in Leeds and sent to a children's home in Newcastle.

After a brief stay, she found herself in the village when a nurse working with Barnardo's children's home had the opportunity to take a child home for the weekend.

Angela had such a great time with the nurse, that when the woman came from the children's home to collect her, she turned and said "bye bye Mummy and Daddy".

The nurse would soon become Angela's adopted sister as the Bruce family couldn't let her go.

So they took off her coat and she stayed, never to return to the Barnardo's children's home.

Life in the village

Angela has very fond memories of the village and the people in it. She was quite probably the first black person many in Craghead had seen in the 1950's.

There were rare occasions of racism in Craghead, but on the whole Angela felt happy and looked after by the people in the village.

"I remember when we were playing netball and another school came to play."

"And our lads from the village would always sit on top of the wall. And that school brought with it one of those black plastic winky dolls, and tied it to the goalposts."

"And I remember them lads looking at it, looking at me, looking at them, and they went "charge" and came off that wall because it was their Angela. There was a big punch up and we had to abandon the netball match".

Angela's memories of the village are largely positive. She remembers Craghead as a busy, vibrant, tight knit community.

In Angela's time the local economy was almost 100% dependant on the coal mining industry.

These days of course it's a different story.

Craghead Today

Angela as Mrs Justin in Ghosthunter.

Angela left the village at the age of 19; a year after the pit closed its doors for the last time and hasn't really been back since. She felt that there had been many changes.

"What do I feel about coming back to Craghead?... sadness. Sadness that there is so much change, the pit's gone, the community is decimated - but also proud, and happy to have lived here, met the people I have and to have all those good memories"

"I'm fortunate to have grown up in Craghead, I really am".

What Next?

Craghead as it is today

Craghead, like many mining villages of its time was devastated with the closure of its pit.

However it has survived, mainly because it has been able to grow and evolve, just like the community around it.

Many people have moved away from Craghead, the community spirit has changed, the pit has gone and buildings have been demolished.

But Craghead's history and Angela's memories of the village will never be forgotten.