Tag: AHRC Curiosity Award

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Celebrating Curiosity at Ballast Hills

The Ballast Hills Burial Ground project will mark the close of the current AHRC Curiosity Award funding period with a Celebrating Curiosity gathering on Monday, 15 June 2026. Although this particular funding period is coming to an end, work at Ballast Hills will continue through further research, volunteering, public engagement, and partnership activity.

The evening is open to everyone with an interest in Ballast Hills, local history, heritage, poetry, music, community research, or the wider stories connected with the burial ground. Whether you have volunteered, attended previous events, followed the project online, recently heard about the site, or are simply curious to learn more, you are warmly invited to join us.

The programme will include music and poetry from Maurice Condie, Marina Dodgson, and Harry Gallagher, who will share selections from Beneath This Ground. Myra Giesen, Project Lead, will provide an overview of the project and its achievements, alongside special acknowledgements and time to chat, reconnect, and meet others interested in the project.

The celebration will also include the launch of Ballast Hills Brown Ale, honouring brewing histories connected with the site.

Date: Monday, 15 June 2026
Time: 17:30 to 20:30
Arrival from: 17:00
Location: Brinkburn St Brewery, Ouseburn, NE6 1NW

This is a free event, but booking is essential. Book your free ticket here: Celebration of Curiosity

Light snacks, cake and fruit will be provided, while drinks will be available to purchase from the bar. Guests are encouraged to arrive early, with the option to visit Ballast Hills Burial Ground (it is diagonally across the street) before the main event and spend time at the site.

Please feel free to invite a friend, forward the invitation, or share the registration link with anyone who may be interested.

All are welcome.

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BHBG Project wins Engagement and Place Award

We are delighted to share that Ballast Hills Burial Ground has won a Newcastle University Engagement and Place Award in the category Engaging for Cultural Benefit.

The Engagement and Place Awards celebrate the connections, curiosity, and care that shape meaningful engagement between the University, partners, and wider communities. For Ballast Hills, this recognition reflects the collective work of volunteers, students, descendants, local residents, family historians, heritage partners, researchers, and community groups who have helped reconnect the burial ground with the people, histories, and responsibilities it continues to hold.

We were proud to be shortlisted alongside two inspiring projects: From Collections to Climate Change, led by Dr Kristin Hussey and Dr Clare Hickman, and Listening to the Voices of the Rivers, led by Dr Giuliana Borea. Together, the shortlisted projects show the richness of cultural engagement taking place across Newcastle University, from museums and environmental interpretation to Indigenous philosophies, community dialogue, and funerary heritage. More information about the 2026 winners and shortlisted projects can be found on the Newcastle University Engagement and Place Awards page.

This award comes at an important moment. The AHRC Curiosity Award funding that has supported this phase of the project comes to an end in June 2026, but the work will continue. The project has created a strong foundation for future research, interpretation, conservation, and community engagement.

We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to Ballast Hills Burial Ground with such generosity, knowledge, and care. Thank you to our partners, volunteers, supporters, and all those who have shared memories, research, questions, and commitment. This award belongs to the wider community of people helping to make Ballast Hills visible again.