Shildon Civic Hall was the venue chosen for the Bishop Auckland Labour Party Gala dinner just prior to the North East Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner election campaigns.
Councillor Shirley Quinn welcomed guests to the town and reminded them of its proud history in the development of the world’s railways.
The evening’s special guest was Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle Central.
For her moment in the spotlight, Chi gamely agreed to a Chat Show format, taking to the stage with Michael Beeforth.
Chi told us of her early years in Newcastle, followed by a period in Nigeria which ended with a last-minute escape from war-torn Biafra, leaving her father, a doctor, behind.
She spoke about growing up in Newcastle in relative poverty, and how, with family and school support, she excelled in maths and science, going to London to study engineering.
As a black, working class woman from a council estate in the North East, she was in a minority of one studying engineering at university in London and encountered racism and sexism.
After University, she began a very successful career in digital engineering. She went on to help build digital networks all over the world, the networks that make today’s instant multimedia communications possible.
She was particularly proud of having helped build the first mobile phone system in Nigeria, when the country was without a reliable electricity supply.
Mid-career, she decided to change direction and stood for Parliament in Newcastle Central in 2010.
She is currently Shadow Minister with responsibility for Labour’s policies on Science, Innovation and Research.
The evening continued with speeches from Joy Allen, re-elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham and Darlington last week, and from Sam Rushworth, the Parliamentary candidate for the Bishop Auckland area.
Finally, the dinner guests were treated to some toe-tapping entertainment by musical duo, Cllr Samantha Townsend and husband Alex.
“Stuart Joyce and the Shildon Civic Centre team looked after us well,” said Cllr Quinn, “with an excellent three-course dinner and friendly bar staff.”
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
