Don't let this be last orders for the Stute

The campaign to Save Our Stute -
time is running out...

Shildon Railway Institute (the World’s first of its kind) has been at the heart of Shildon since it was founded by Timothy Hackworth for the town’s Railway Workers and their families in 1833. Its current home since 1911, the building on Redworth Road is a place where generations have come together to socialise; to read and to learn; even at one time to have a bath! A place where friendships have been forged, many stories told and even love found. When the Railway Works closed in 1984, this beautiful Grade II listed building was gifted by the owners NER to its members.

Unfortunately, by 2019 the fate of the Shildon Railway Institute (or the ‘Stute’ as it is fondly known) was on a similar path to that of the railway industry that gave birth to the town. By then, with only one out of three floors in use as a social club with dwindling attendance, the deterioration of the fabric of the building meant that it looked like the Stute could be closing its doors for the last time.

A public meeting was called in March 2019 to open up a dialogue with the community. An appeal was made by the committee for volunteers to look at ways of saving the Stute. Over 200 people attended and the strength of feeling shown that night (and since) proves that the Stute still means so much to many people. Members, ex Railway Workers, their families and descendants, heritage enthusiasts, concerned residents - some of whom had never set foot in the place – all turned out to show their support.

Following the public meeting, a core group of volunteers assembled and the ‘Save Our Stute’ (‘SOS’) Campaign was born under the swiftly created parent group The Shildon Heritage Alliance CIC (reg. 12154211). We started work straight away to stabilise the business, raise awareness of our campaign and reinstate the venue as a thriving social hub.

The ultimate aim of the Save Our Stute group is to see the building fully restored to its former glory and to preserve the heritage of an institution which pre-dates the building. By creating a space that can be used by the community for both social and business purposes, we aim to future proof it. We need to achieve all of this to ensure that the Stute continues to feature as an intrinsic part of Shildon life for generations to come.

All of the above has unfortunately been eclipsed by the Coronavirus pandemic. Any progress made since that pivotal public meeting in 2019 has been wiped out by lockdown and reduced attendance. The two periods of enforced closure meant writing off the bar's stock and then repurchasing it, furloughing staff and cancelling many events. The situation has only been aggravated by the strict social distancing laws and 10pm curfew, resulting in reduced attendance during opening hours. Outgoings have quickly overtaken income and the venue's finances are in a perilous state.

The Stute now finds itself at a crucial juncture...if we can keep it afloat until the health crisis starts to calm, with support from SHA and the community, its chances of survival will be much improved. If not...last orders may have already been called for the final time. We know that many hospitality and other small businesses find themselves in exactly the same financial position, and we truly feel for them all. We must however focus our attention on this precious community hub that we as a group have invested in so much already, and try and stop the lights going out permanently.

Our aim is to raise £20,000 in the next three weeks to keep the Stute alive and enable the doors to open on the 2nd of December. If, with your help, we can achieve this, then we will continue to fundraise to enable us to begin the process of attracting funding partners, so that we can carry out major renovation works by showing that we are serious, committed and well established.

Who are we and what do we bring to the campaign?

The Shildon Heritage Alliance and Save Our Stute volunteers are a group of over a dozen hard working Shildon residents with a wide range of skills and experience from event organising to digital marketing, graphic design, customer service, business management and more. And we are all passionate about our community! 

We encourage and welcome anyone with an interest in our campaign and desire to muck in to join us. It is well known how deep and wide reaching the benefits of volunteering are and members of the group would testify to that.

When things have gone badly in the towns like Shildon in the past, there is a tendency for people to cry out "Why didn't somebody.....?"

We're just one group trying to work with our community to stem that tide of decline and "be that somebody".

What has the Save Our Stute Group achieved in the last year?

EVENTS: The SOS group have organised and run:

• The Institute’s first Beer Festival
• The 35th Anniversary Shildon Works' Reunion
• Monthly open meetings, with everyone free to attend (including virtual meetings during lockdown)
• Musical events including brass recitals, Motown nights, Indie nights, 80s nights, and a sell-out Christmas Irish night

Other popular events such as monthly Quiz Nights, Mediumship and Paranormal nights, G (gin) and Tea events, Race Nights, Christmas Fairs, the celebration of National Days such as St. Patrick’s Day, Kids Discos, and Remembrance Day gatherings

FUNDING: The Group has funded and actioned:

• The purchase of hardware to enable card payments (£400)
• The commissioning of a building condition survey prior to this campaign (£1200)
• The creation of new Membership Application forms
• An Institute website, to promote the Institute and advertise events
• A payment of £2000 to help with essential roof repairs after weather damage
• A new carpet for the Hackworth Lounge to make the room more attractive for event hire (£1300)
• A £500 payment towards legal costs for arranging new trustees
• A £150 payment to clear weeds and undergrowth from the car park
• Acrylic screens and plastic chairs for exterior use, to help the Institute become COVID-safe (£200+)
• The purchase of paint and materials to freshen up the foyer area
• The design and purchase of ‘Works’ banners for the Shildon Works Reunion event

• The purchase of Shildon wagon plates and railwayana for display
• The production of posters and flyers to promote Institute events (hand delivered in the Shildon area by SOS members)
• The purchase of materials to repair perimeter fencing
• The commissioning of a portrait of the Institute by local artist Eric Thompson, to be used for promotional and merchandising purposes
• The purchase of event tickets and the ability to facilitate online ticket purchase
• The purchase and production of significant portraits and photographs to decorate the Hackworth Lounge, including working with Jane Hackworth-Young to reproduce a portrait of Timothy Hackworth

VOLUNTEERING: The Group has donated over 500 hours of their own time and resources to:

• Plan, promote, sell and staff Institute events
• Administrate the Institute and the Save Our Stute's social media pages
• Provide sound and lighting equipment free of charge
• Carry out repairs and improvements to the building and grounds, including the clearing and litter picking of the car park, decorating of areas of the Hall and Foyer
• Hold virtual meetings during lockdown to maintain momentum of the Campaign
• Help with the carrying out of door duties during the coronavirus pandemic
• Make sandwiches and snacks for sale in the Bar

RAISING AWARENESS AND ADDING VALUE: The Group has carried out various activities to raise awareness of the Institute and the campaign to preserve it:

• Social Media: the creation and administration of a Facebook and Twitter presence that now has a combined following of over 1300 people
• The shildonrailway.institute website: enabling 24 hour online booking, giving updates on events and fundraising activities and celebrating the Institute’s heritage and achievements
• Designing and promoting a strong contemporary brand for the Stute
• Media: raising the profile of the Institute in local and regional news channels
• Creating Institute merchandise to promote and raise money for the cause

• Creating strong partner relationships with local firms to generate business
• Creating a CIC dedicated to helping our work with the Institute
• Making movies: the production of films to celebrate the Shildon Works (including interviewing former workers and apprentices), to explain coronavirus precautions, and to be used as a backdrop to local events
• Developing a credible vision for the Institute to help attract major funding support
• The creation and purchase of SOS uniforms and garments for events (all purchased by SOS members themselves)
• The creation of two real ales to promote the Institute at the 2019 Beer Festival
• ...and the introduction of local real ales to the Stute to help support local businesses and celebrate the venue’s industrial heritage

And that’s not all! As well as organising sell-out events, funding initiatives, volunteering hundreds of hours (and quite often their own funds), and working to raise awareness of the Stute, the Save Our Stute group have:

• Founded the Institute Women group, who have worked tirelessly to create their own fundraising events and social evenings
• Consulted experts with experience of similar building preservation campaigns
• Worked with the Institute Committee to produce a credible COVID -19 Risk Assessment
• Made plans, (currently postponed) to involve the Institute in planning a 2025 celebration of the Bicentenary of the passenger Railways
• Acted on as many of the suggestions made by the membership and wider community as much as time and funds would allow 
• Raised money for a local charity Quinn’s Retreat as well as the Institute

All of this in just over a year...we’ve come a long way, thanks to the hard work of the volunteers involved, but the Institute isn’t saved yet! 

With the devastation that arrived with the coronavirus pandemic, the Stute has now, along with other hospitality venues, been shut down twice in 2020. All scheduled events were cancelled and many more have been postponed until they can be held safely. 

The Institute in its present form has existed for well over 100 years, and we hope that with your support and the invaluable work carried out by the SOS group, the Institute membership and Committee, it will be here for another 100.

Can you help?

Any donations made to this campaign to save the historic Railway Institute are gratefully received; every penny that you are able to donate will help us make sure the doors of the Stute open again and we can start to look forward with renewed vigour. Additionally, if you feel you can offer your time or expertise to further help the campaign, we would be delighted to welcome you into the fold. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about our mission, the campaign or how you can help.