💚 There is hope

Such a fun day filming at Locomotion in Shildon as the Guinness World Records 'Doing the Locomotion' record attempt took place! Fun, energy and so many laughs. Thank you to all who took part, stars one and all 🤩

Today has been about filming Bus Stops as part of a community art project in the Spennymoor area. The looks you get when you go 'bus stop spotting...' 😶‍🌫️

Plans are finally in motion to get this incredibly important film released. The Miners' Strike in County Durham and how the fallout echoes through our communities today. 'DEFIANT - County Durham, the Miners' Strike and its Legacy'... Coming Soon!

A lot of (national) attention on Horden at the moment, which is both good and bad. Going to have to do a lot of biting my tongue and grinding my teeth to nubs reading people's glib takes on it and the people who live there, that's for sure. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Cheeky coffee time!

Sadly it seems like the university is simply running down the clock on opposition to the intended closure and (I suspect, very quick) demolition of the National Glass Centre in July. But, that's not a reason to not care or stop trying. 1/4 [More: savethengc.art.blog/]

Lovely night with the team from Thorpe Thewles History Group in the village. A preview thank you screening of the film 'Lost & Found - The McLaren Diaries of Thorpe Thewles' for everyone who helped make it happen 😃

Workers... nothing is given without a fight! From 'DEFIANT - County Durham, The Miners' Strike and its Legacy' coming soon www.imdb.com/title/tt3936...

A project we worked on last year has now reached completion. 'LOST & FOUND - The McLaren Diaries of Thorpe Thewles, the story of three found diaries from Edwardian England. More information available here - thorpe-thewles.org.uk/lost-found-t...

What a wonderful night of community and revelry in St John's Chapel last night for the 'Weardale Together Winter Wassail' Huge congratulation to everyone who made it happen 😃

Time to SHEEPISHLY (see what I did there) promote my Changing Landscapes zines again. Most of you probably have one by now 😂. Chock full of ruined buildings, former industry sites, and rusting vehicles of the North Pennines. #Photography #Zine #ThePhotoHour www.mariegardiner.co.uk/zines-and-pr...

This is not new news to anyone who creates 'stuff'. What is equally appauling is the casual use of GenAI by those who claim to be principled and those who claim to champion workers rights.

'Going Back Brockens' visited this exhibition in three different places now, each adding to the work. Moving, beautiful, disturbing, defiant... 100% North East. Thank you Narbi Price, Mark Hudson and filmmaker Carl Joyce

*VOLUME UP* Revisiting this from the fabulous Frankie Archer Music at Hartlepool Folk Festival in 2024. The festival has moved, and become Durham Folk Festival 🎻 . Frankie's folk is like nothing you have ever heard before... Goosebumps. Johnny Handle's 'Guard Yer Man Well' #Mining #Folkmusic

I wrote a thing that isn't miserable 🥳 '[...] as soon as we arrive in the little town of Füssen down the road from where we’ve been staying, we’re looking for somewhere to hide from the elements. Unfortunately, so is everyone else.' mariegardiner.substack.com/p/memories-a...

Plans are finally in motion to get this incredibly important film released. The Miners' Strike in County Durham and how the fallout echoes through our communities today. 'DEFIANT - County Durham, the Miners' Strike and its Legacy'... Coming Soon!

It would be remiss of me not to promote Changing Landscapes again after such a lovely post about it 😊. www.mariegardiner.co.uk/zines-and-pr...

First zine of 2026 - a wonderfully curated experience - full of richness and depth - highly recommend @mariegardiner.bsky.social #photography

Fun time chatting with Pete Waterman today, the 'Hitman' and rail enthusiast!

Really fun time at Kirk Merrington Primary School yesterday, as Olga & pupils worked on the new bus stop mural project for Spennymoor Town Council - A stunning sunset too 👩‍🎨🌇

Not much in the way of social media from us so far this year. We are knee deep in editing a documentary film about Stockton chemist John Walker, the inventor of the 'Friction Light' or matches as we call them now. A simple thing that revolutionised society. 2026 marks 200 years since his invention 🔥

The Man is currently editing our documentary on John Walker, (the inventor of the friction match) and came across an article about a woman who died from eating 40 (FORTY!) matches.

And we are back! HAPPY NEW YEAR 🔥

Start 2026 off with a frivolous purchase of my zine, if not for photographic delight (which you'd surely find...) then to stop the box of zines cluttering up our office.

Happy new year you lot ❤️ all good things for 2026.

Well... it's been quite a year for us! Enjoy a festive break and here's to new adventures! 🎄😃

Some more stills from our 'John Walker' filming today. Playing with fire is always a treat 🔥

Today has been about inventing the 'friction light'... Chemist John Walker from Stockton did it in 1826, so we did it in 2025. Brilliant help from Michael and Pauline at the Donnison School in Sunderland, and the uber talented Chris Strain as Mr Walker himself.

ho, ho, ho there is still time to get your Changing Landscapes zine before Christmas. Buy it for someone who loves photography, for someone who loves ruins, or for yourself because you deserve a little treat (you do!). www.mariegardiner.co.uk/zines-and-pr... #Photography #ThePhotoHour

Thanks to @talkingnortheast.bsky.social for this piece on my project Changing Landscapes talkingnortheast.substack.com/p/changing-l... #Photography #Zine

'Hollowed Ground - The People of the Durham Coalfield' Documentary film. Today in 1993 the last shift left Wearmouth Colliery, bringing to an end to centuries of working tradition in County Durham. Film available here www.amazon.co.uk/Hollowed-Gro... or streaming www.primevideo.com/.../0JRJ1TTJ...

Uber driver: giving this one a zero, not talked at all, thought they were something special

How next week is looking... 😶

Read all about it! 😀

Lovely afternoon filming with the pupils at Byers Green Primary School in County Durham, as they prepare to transform their local bus stop with artwork. Great fun and even left with a portrait! Thanks to artist Jackie, the pupils and the school staff for the warm welcome 😀

Less than two weeks to get one of these in time for Christmas if you want to buy one as a gift for someone.

Folks we've met on our travels...

Great to be back behind the scenes with this incredible, multi-award-winning team this week! #Ensemble84

'It's just a tree...' So angry about this 👇👇👇

Beautiful!

Welcome to December* *It's actually raining, but we can dream of a winter wonderland ☃️

Would you mind if I gave my zines a little push again? Hopefully the first batch(es) have reached owners now. Maybe a good Christmas gift for someone who likes photography 👀. Here are four pics of the same house taken over several years. #Zine #Photography www.mariegardiner.co.uk/zines-and-pr...

Happy St Andrew's Day! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Good morning, welcome to Monday etc etc. Once again just packing up some Changing Landscapes zines (thank you!) ready to post. You can get one here for £10 which includes postage (UK only, sadly). #Photography #Zine #ThePhotoHour #Abandoned #Ruins www.mariegardiner.co.uk/zines-and-pr...

Beautiful day to visit one of Stockton's most famous sons, John Walker (chemist) buried in Norton. Walker invented the friction match (1826) and revolutionised how people made fire. Instant fire whenever you needed it was a real game changer 🔥

Packaging up some Changing Landscapes zines to go in the post today if anyone wants to jump on the band wagon and get theirs! 40 pages of abandoned North Pennines structures to make your stomach fizzy. £10 including UK postage. #Photography #Zine www.mariegardiner.co.uk/zines-and-pr...

Enjoy our new short documentary 'BACK ON TRACK'. The story of how the 'Locomotion No.1' replica was brought back to life for the S&DR Bicentenary in September. youtu.be/0PM1qx21np0 #SDR200 #Locomotion1 #railwayhistory

Get out into the wild North Pennines... from the comfort of your own home... Stunning 😍

This is what built County Durham, and this is what will rebuild it. 'Fellowship is life, fellowship for all'.