Current projects:

Life without Steel (ongoing project) David has gone back to his roots in the North East of England to investigate change.​

Once a lively, busy and prosperous steel town, Middlesbrough's decline over the last 50 years has been relentless. The town continues to have one of the highest levels of deprivtion in the country - but what of the people and what new initiatives could turn the town around.

170 years of iron and steel production on Teesside ended in October 2015, when the Redcar plant closed. The area has been through tough economic times since the early 1970's but the final demise of the steel industry will hit the town hard. 

David started his working life on the Redcar steel plant and has witnessed the decline over decades. In the heartland of Middlesbrough, well built terraced streets where communities of steel workers once lived have been demolished - replaced by wasteland or car parks. The remaining houses are home to new communities of immigrants and refugees. The centre has become an economic ghost town where few shops survive. Government payments and local authority initiatives have helped soften the blow of the steel closures but the underlying problems remain. There was optimism with Middlesbrough Football Club's promotion to the Premier League but that was short-lived. Investment is sorely needed.

TBC...

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Past Projects:

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Milan 'Expo 2015'

Expo Milano 2015 is the Universal Exhibition that Milan, Italy, hosts from May 1 to October 31, 2015. Over this six-month period Milan becomes a global showcase where more than 140 participating countries show the best of their technology. Expo 2015 centres on all that offers a concrete answer to a vital need: being able to guarantee healthy, safe and sufficient food for everyone, while respecting the Planet and its equilibrium. 

In addition to the exhibitor nations, the Expo also involves international organizations, and expects to welcome over 20 million visitors.

 

Waterloo 2015

June 18th - 21st, the bi-centenial of the Battle of Waterloo - with commemorations and re-enactments of the battle, 15 miles from Brussels.

 

Whitby Goth Weekend

Thousands of 'Goths' gather in the small North-East fishing town of Whitby to celebrate Halloween. For more than 20 years the festival has attracted young and old who dress up and wander the streets and alleyways. For the last weekend in October, pubs, clubs and restaurants are decorated and turn the small town into an eerie backdrop for the excited revellers.

 

 ©david crabtree 2015