Tyne Bank Takeover, Newcastle

The creative women of Tyneside are putting on a show

What’s better than a market that brings together some of the region’s top creative businesses? Well, how about an event that takes that market, adds workshops, live music, quality street food and a much-loved local brewery? Before heading down to Tyne Bank Brewery on Nov. 12, Talking Northeast spoke to Women Will Create’s Rebecca Dickson to find out more.

Saturday’s event is Rebecca’s second market in Newcastle. The first was back in June and proved successful enough to persuade several of the vendors to come back. This second edition promises to be even bigger.

“In June we were purely market based,” she said. “We had 18 vendors so there was a real mix. I was really nervous doing it for the first time, but it was a really good day.

“One thing I noticed was how everything in the Northeast is very much about a destination, there’s not the kind of passing footfall you might get in London. That’s why, this time, I want lots going on. We’ve got workshops, we’ve got a musician doing an acoustic set in the afternoon, there’s food and drink. It’s a ‘stay and enjoy the day’ kind of atmosphere.”

‘I’m really excited to see everyone’s work’

Lots going on ranges from workshops by Goodness Gracious Green and Northern Sky Flowers to a one-off acoustic show from Gateshead-based dream-popper Hannah Robinson, whose most recent track, Nineteen, dropped a couple of months ago. It all adds up to the sense of occasion, nurturing an ‘event’ vibe that helps face-to-face retail compete with the online giants.

Then, of course, there are the vendors themselves: local, independent businesses, led by women, showcasing their talents. This is only the second outing for Women Will Create at Tyne Bank, but there is already something of a community forming.

“We have a few people who were at the first one in June,” Rebecca said. “I always like to see people come back. It’s partly because I like getting to know people, but it’s also reassuring that they like the environment, the way we do things. It helps me to know I’m doing the right things.”

Promotion – individually and collectively – is key to the success of the event, and Rebecca is delighted with the way vendors have joined together to get the word out there.

“I look at IT Girls Vintage, for example, and it’s incredible to see how much Paige is doing for their marketing in the lead-up to events,” she added. “It’s not just this one, I feel like she’s really on it when it comes to pushing herself and these markets. She’s been all over Instagram in the last few days.

“But I couldn’t single out any one person this time, I’m really excited to see everyone’s work.”

‘I see a lot of work that really stands out’

Women Will Create has a nationwide reach. Rebecca started the project when she was based in London and there are still regular markets in the capital. However, from day one there was an ambition to look beyond the M25.

“I get very frustrated when there’s a sense of ‘London or nothing’,” she said. “In just the last few months I’ve seen so much creativity here in the Northeast. It’s great to be able to do things that focus on that. I’m just trying to figure out where my position is. There are a lot of creative things going on, even if it’s set up in a slightly different way from London, so I want to make sure I stand out.”

Experience across the country – during lockdown, Women Will Create’s first events were online and drew in contributors from all over the UK – means Rebecca is well placed to assess how this region’s creative small businesses compare with the rest of the country.

“I see a lot of artists and illustrators and their work really stands out,” she said. “One of the great things about being a small business in the Northeast is that people recognise the work of independent artists and you see it in all sorts of different places. It feels like the community really embraces the idea of supporting local people.

“When you go around town, you see local illustrators who have their artwork up in bars and places. It’s nice, because you don’t always expect to see so many independent things all in one go.”

In Newcastle, the universities help. With a large student population, many of whom combine their studies with a creative business, the age range for indies is younger than elsewhere. And, when it comes to supporting newcomers, existing small businesses are happy to help out.

“You see it in little things like posters,” Rebecca added. “I was in Jesmond the other day, putting up flyers for Saturday, and people are really willing to help. Newcastle is very much a poster town, you can put loads of them up and people are willing to help with that.”

Beyond the market

On market day, the vendors and performers take centre stage. Behind the scenes, though, Women Will Create is steadily helping a wide range of small, female-led businesses realise their potential.

It started when Rebecca found that her marketing and copywriting role no longer gave her the chance to work on projects she believed in.

“I wasn’t enjoying it and I wanted to do something that I cared about,” she recalled. “I wanted to go back to what I’d done in the past, something I was interested in. It started with creating a website, a friend of mine did a logo for me, and initially it was pretty much all about female empowerment.

“Then I found I was talking to small businesses all the time, giving advice and helping people to feel confident in what they were doing. And that’s where the idea of doing markets and events came from.”

The Tyne Bank Takeover

Saturday’s event runs at the Tyne Bank Brewery on the Walker Road. It runs from 2pm until 6:30, with pre-booked workshops starting a little earlier.

And it is far from a one-off. Women Will Create is always looking to support more small businesses as part of its community mission to cater women’s confidence, social lives and creativity. Anybody interested in getting involved in future events can reach out via the website.