Around £55,000 is needed to create a 'Herring Girl' statue in North Shields that would celebrate the role of women in the local fishing industry

A campaign in North Shields is gaining momentum in its pursuit to raise £55,000 for a 'Herring Girl' sculpture, writes KEITH BAYS.

The North Shields Fishermen’s Heritage Project is looking to help preserve the rich history and heritage of the area, and this campaign is part of that effort.

Herring girls often worked long days in difficult conditions, playing their part not only in the fishing industry, but also in raising their families.

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Project chairman Terry McDermott said: “We started in 2015 and have gone from strength to strength. We plucked a little bit of nothing out of the air and created ‘Fiddlers Green’ - a statue of a lone fisherman reflecting in thought as he looks out beyond the River Tyne piers. "We also created a Remembrance Book, to the memory of all those fishermen who have worked out of North Shields over the years, which is on public display at North Shields library.”

Terry added: “We now intend to get another statue in place, because the women deserve the same recognition as the men in the fishing industry. It’s a worthwhile and justifiable cause and we want as many people as possible to support our efforts.” Ray Lonsdale, the creator of the Fiddlers Green fisherman has been commissioned to produce the life-size Herring Girl sculpture which will be located on the Western Quay as a tribute to all the women who played an important part in the North Shields fishing industry.

Many of the project trustees and volunteers involved with the Heritage Project have family connections with the Fish Quay and fishing industry.

Trustee Lyn Collins said: “I got involved in fishing because my whole family was. My grandfather was a skipper and my father and my uncles were all involved in fishing. So, when the project came up and Terry asked me to be on the committee, I was delighted to do so.”

Owner of Orbis Support Limited and benefactor, Nigel Devine, said: “The project resonated with me because it celebrates the role of women which I think often goes unrecognised.”

Fishermen from North Shields had to work long hours in tough conditions, at times with no sleep and poor accommodation - and there was no guarantee of a decent wage despite their hard work.

Terry McDermott said: “The job was very hard indeed. Some men would cry when they went away on a fishing boat before a long trip. The accommodation and conditions were hard. It was not a luxury life.”

North Shields Fish Quay is still a working quay and the biggest prawn-landing port on the North East coast - but it is evolving.

While it still supports fishing, albeit on a smaller scale, it has blossomed into a fashionable place for locals and visitors to eat and drink. Numerous restaurants and bars now occupy the Fish Quay - but the history and heritage can be seen everywhere.

Cameron Boyd, co-owner of The Low Lights Tavern, said: “It’s nice that the Fish Quay is still busy, but you also want it to be somewhere people remember what their heritage is, where there’s something to see and pin it down as a destination. Fiddlers Green has certainly been that, and something extra with the Herring Girl statue would be brilliant.”

While the trustees acknowledge that the hospitality industry is breathing new life into the the Fish Quay, they believe preserving its history and heritage is vitally important.

Terry McDermott said: “I think it is very important that our history and heritage is recorded, and that it’s not allowed to just drift away as though it never happened.”

To find out more information, volunteer or donate, contact the North Shields Fishermen’s Heritage Project via their Facebook page here.

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The proposed Herring Girl sculpture, from a sketch and design by Ray Lonsdale

'Smiling in the face of adversity'. The Herring Girl sculpture will be based on this image

A herring girl, 20th century

Herring girls at work, 20th century

Herring was salted and packed into hundreds of barrels

The North Shields Lone Fisheman at Fiddlers Green. A Herring Girl statue is now planned