Fire and Steel Festival
Encyclopedia
Fire and Steel Festival is an annual one-day festival held in Redcar
, Teesside
, set against the background of the industrial furnace of the largest steelworks in Europe
and Redcar’s coast line.
David Jamilly
and social entrepreneur and local boxing coach Frankie Wales, in conjunction with Redcar
and Cleveland Borough Council. Frankie Wales is also the founder of Redcar Development Trust (1).
The festival was set to celebrate Redcar’s incredible and unique heritage of 150 years of steelmaking and the spirit of the area and people.
Designed with the whole community in mind the Fire and Steel Festival offers a variety of activities and performers. The line up for the 2011 festival included fire performers, motorcycle troupes, live music, stunt displays, circus skills work shops, art and history exhibitions and the torching of a spectacular 20ft fire sculpture.
2011 was the inaugural year and saw over two thousand attendees and numbers are set to increase dramatically in coming years.
has been inextricably linked to Steel
and fire
since 1917 when the Teesside Steelworks
were founded.
Teesside Steelworks, which stretches from Redcar
, where the largest blast furnace
in Europe is located, to east Middlesbrough
area are Europe’s largest steelworks producing steel for the Sydney Harbour Bridge
, Tyne Bridge
, Auckland Harbour Bridge
and many more.
The Corus Steelworks was taken over by Tata Steel
in 2007 but kept the name and its position as the biggest employer in the area.
On 19 February 2010 the steelworks were mothballed causing the termination of around 17,000 contracts. The closure of Redcar’s Steelworks not only had a huge impact on the local economy and employment, but also the moral of the area.
The first Fire and Steel festival took place as a tribute to Teesside’s unique steel heritage and a recognition to the tenacity and spirit to the people from the area.
Shortly after the inaugural Fire and Steel Festival on Thursday 24 February, the mothballed Steelworks were sold for £291m after months of negotiations with the Thai company SSI creating hundreds of new jobs in the area.
The celebration of Teesside’s passion for Steel is set to continue through the Fire and Steel Festival. The mothballing of the Steelworks on 19 February 2010 remains a significant date and the festival will take place on the closest Saturday every year.
Redcar
Redcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
, Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
, set against the background of the industrial furnace of the largest steelworks in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Redcar’s coast line.
Origins
The event is organised by Secret MillionaireSecret Millionaire
The Secret Millionaire is a reality television show which originated in the UK, in which millionaires go incognito into impoverished communities and agree to give away tens of thousands of pounds . Members of the community are told the cameras are present to film a documentary...
David Jamilly
David Jamilly
David Jamilly is a philanthropist, humanitarian and entrepreneur.-About:David Jamilly is a philanthropist, humanitarian, 'Secret Millionaire' and entrepreneur.-Profession:...
and social entrepreneur and local boxing coach Frankie Wales, in conjunction with Redcar
Redcar
Redcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
and Cleveland Borough Council. Frankie Wales is also the founder of Redcar Development Trust (1).
The festival was set to celebrate Redcar’s incredible and unique heritage of 150 years of steelmaking and the spirit of the area and people.
Designed with the whole community in mind the Fire and Steel Festival offers a variety of activities and performers. The line up for the 2011 festival included fire performers, motorcycle troupes, live music, stunt displays, circus skills work shops, art and history exhibitions and the torching of a spectacular 20ft fire sculpture.
2011 was the inaugural year and saw over two thousand attendees and numbers are set to increase dramatically in coming years.
History
RedcarRedcar
Redcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
has been inextricably linked to Steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
since 1917 when the Teesside Steelworks
Teesside Steelworks
Teesside Steelworks is a large steelworks located on the south Tees, Teesside, England. It stretches from Redcar, where the largest blast furnace in Europe is located, to east Middlesbrough area....
were founded.
Teesside Steelworks, which stretches from Redcar
Redcar
Redcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
, where the largest blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
in Europe is located, to east Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
area are Europe’s largest steelworks producing steel for the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
, Tyne Bridge
Tyne Bridge
The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. It was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, and was built by Dorman Long and Co. of Middlesbrough. At the time...
, Auckland Harbour Bridge
Auckland Harbour Bridge
The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane box truss motorway bridge over the Waitemata Harbour, joining St Marys Bay in Auckland with Northcote in North Shore City, New Zealand. The bridge is part of State Highway 1 and the Auckland Northern Motorway...
and many more.
The Corus Steelworks was taken over by Tata Steel
Tata Steel
Tata Steel is a multinational steel company headquartered in Jamshedpur, India and part of Tata Group. It is the world's seventh-largest steel company, with an annual crude steel capacity of 31 million tonnes, and the largest private-sector steel company in India measured by domestic production...
in 2007 but kept the name and its position as the biggest employer in the area.
On 19 February 2010 the steelworks were mothballed causing the termination of around 17,000 contracts. The closure of Redcar’s Steelworks not only had a huge impact on the local economy and employment, but also the moral of the area.
The first Fire and Steel festival took place as a tribute to Teesside’s unique steel heritage and a recognition to the tenacity and spirit to the people from the area.
Shortly after the inaugural Fire and Steel Festival on Thursday 24 February, the mothballed Steelworks were sold for £291m after months of negotiations with the Thai company SSI creating hundreds of new jobs in the area.
The celebration of Teesside’s passion for Steel is set to continue through the Fire and Steel Festival. The mothballing of the Steelworks on 19 February 2010 remains a significant date and the festival will take place on the closest Saturday every year.