The Couple Trying to Rebuild a Community with The Arts
Cambois is the epitome of a northern town suffering post-industrial decline. Situated between the North Sea and the rivers Blyth and Wansbeck, it hasn’t recovered from the loss of the local coalfield, ship breakers and power station. Surveys of residents produce a word cloud in which ‘isolated’, ‘neglected’ and ‘deprived’ are prominent.
The imposing Miners Welfare building dominates the terrace which runs behind the beach. Long disused as a social club the ‘Tute’ is now home to a local community arts charity run by playwright Alex Oates and his partner, professional dance artist Esther Huss. The charity’s mission is to change lives and rebuild the local community through the power of art.
Alex is originally from Whitley Bay. In 2019, he returned to the North-East from London with Esther to find somewhere with more space to raise a family. Having set up home in North Blyth, Alex and Esther came across the disused building in Cambois, which the local council were anxious to dispose of. They rented the space with the help of a small business grant during Covid, and Esther started a dance class while Alex set up a creative writing group. One of their initial projects was Cambois Hidden Depths, which used creative projects, including film, music, drama and dance, to explore the heritage of the local area. The Cambois Local Artist Exhibition attracted works by 25 local residents. Their most recent project, Rude Health, was a month-long season of work inspired by multiple aspects of ‘health’ with contributions from visiting artists, including local actor Trevor Fox.
Alex and Esther passionately believe in the power of art to bring oppressed communities out of their defensive shells and stimulate engagement, local pride, empathy and ambition – in other words to revitalize communities. In an increasingly atomised and polarised world their commitment, energy and success must surely be applauded.
(To discover more about the Tute and future events visit; https://thetute.uk/ )