Crackin Toast

10/09/2022

Remembering 8 years ago the Million Great North Run

13/09/2020

On the 6 year anniversary of the Great North Run Millenium in 2014 we look back ..
https://vimeo.com/crackintoast/greatnorthrun

Short 60 second video shot at the Million Great North Run celebrations at the quayside and at the end of the run in South Shields

30/07/2020

When Caroline Frater collapsed at home last October, it was her five year old son Leo Cooper who saved her life.

Leo rang 999 to get help and gave all the necessary information to the ambulance service. As a result he was given a Young Hero Award by Durham Constabulary. He also received certificates and gifts from the North East Ambulance Service and the Fire Brigade.

Press interest came from the BBC, ITV, Tyne & Wear TV, the Northern Echo and Radio Tees. His story even travelled the world as far as Peru & Sri Lanka!

11/06/2020

A few pictures we took from our trip to Netherlands Apenheul
zoo last year, except one that is fake. Guess which?

11/06/2020

What else can you do in lockdown but to search out the archives. Here, Jackie Dodds is being interviewed by some of the team on our Bishop Auckland Documentary project 'Home Town' a story of Bishop Auckland. Joe Bainbridge on camera, Paul Maughan on sound, interviewed by Rosie Anderson.

12/05/2020

Here is a little song I wrote last year. It finally saw the light of day when I spent some time with Ian Stephenson at Simpson Street Studios in early March and got the accompaniment sorted.

Sometimes we see things and hear things and store them away until the time is right. This is one of those songs. Words and music by me. Piano arranged and played by Ian Stephenson. Recorded by Ian a

23/04/2020

Lovely, reflective and uplifting film. Feel free to share. 🌈

21/04/2020

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Sunak, has ignored
250,000 self employed people for the self employment grant.
I have sent him a video message. Please SHARE, tell everyone
and add your comments.

Let's hope this goes viral and Mr Sunak changes his mind.

16/04/2020

Bishop Auckland Food Festival might be cancelled this year, but you can still support the traders by making an order online.

Many of these fantastic local businesses are offering home delivery and discounts on orders. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3ba5EsC

11/04/2020

Film ID: NEFA 22313 BISHOP OF DURHAM PAGEANT c.1976 Visitor TabsDescription An amateur film produced by Chris Anderson, with the assistance of Jackie Dodd and Dave Holder, recording local children from the Witton Park and Woodhouse Close areas of Bishop Auckland as they prepare for and participate i...

10/04/2020

Had an expedition into our garden today playing with our macro lens. Obviously Benson managed to get in the shots as usual.

08/04/2020

Next up in our daily dose of nostalgia, a film about the Bishop Auckland & Coundon in Bloom entry.

Are you sitting comfortably? then we will begin ...

https://vimeo.com/crackintoast/bacbvolunteers

Delighted to make this film for Bishop Auckland & Coundon in Bloom to present to judges today. Well done to all the hard working volunteers who worked on…

06/04/2020

Day 3 of our films during the coronavirus, is the Festival of Flame at Hexham Abbey last November. Hope you enjoy it and it takes your mind away from the situation for a few minutes!

https://vimeo.com/crackintoast/festivaloffame

This is "Hexham Festival of Flame" by Crackin Toast on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

04/04/2020

As we cannot create any new films due to Coronavirus, we have been looking in our archives. First up, as the Bishop Auckland Food Festival has been cancelled this year, here is Lee Brownson from 2019 to remind us all what it is all about.



https://vimeo.com/crackintoast/bishopaucklandfoodfestival

The Bishop Auckland Food Festival took place over the weekend 13/14th April with thousands of visitors enjoying the food, events and the sunshine! This short video…

02/04/2020

I am trying to gather my songs into one place so here is a link to my Soundcloud. More to come, when I find them!

Here are a few of the songs I have written over the past 15 years or so. Some for school shows, some for other projects and some just for the hell of it. If you like any of them, please say so! Thanks

18/03/2020

I have spent a wonderful day today with ultra-talented Ian Stephenson at Coquetdale Music Trust recording studio in Thropton. He has helped to breathe new life into some of my songs that have never had any accompaniment! Thanks so much Ian.
Chris and I are now in isolation so we will see everyone on the other side. Stay safe x

And here’s a blast from the past- five years ago to be precise. Joe and his old band mates performing his song The Other Side.

iTunes; https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-other-side-single/id882434872 www.joetaylorband.com www.facebook.com/joetaylorband Filmed and ed...

03/03/2020

Town centres across the UK are suffering, but Bishop Auckland's fortunes could be about to change.

26/02/2020

Huge thanks to everyone who came to the final screening of our film at Cobalt Studios last night. It was great to get so many positive comments!

We are overjoyed and pretty amazed that our exhibition and film have been seen by nearly 5000 people over the last month.
The film is now available to view online at

https://vimeo.com/crackintoast/piecesofmyjgsaw

Please feel free to share. Many thanks.

24/02/2020

We can hardly believe that tomorrow night is the last public screening of our Arts Council funded film, Pieces of my Jigsaw.
Come along to Cobalt Studios, near Ernest, at 6.30pm and hear lovely Anne talk about growing up in the Seychelles and my dad David talking about his cycle ride to Lands End in 1950, and lots more!
See our beautiful personalised memory books, illustrated by Katie Chappell and Bethan Laker and lovingly made by Mo Healy.
Be inspired to do something similar (or something completely different!) to help your loved one with dementia keep on telling their stories. Hope to see you there.

22/02/2020

Tomorrow is the last chance to see our Pieces of my Jigsaw exhibition and a short version of our film at Woodhorn Colliery Museum.
We went up on Thursday and met some lovely people who were really interested in the whole concept of sharing and preserving memories.
Chris and Leanne from Teeside- it was a pleasure talking with you!
The final showing of the film for now is on Tuesday at Cobalt Studios, Boyd Street, Newcastle at 6.30pm. Hope to see you there!

20/02/2020

Do you know someone living with dementia? If so, you might be interested to see the last public showing of our Arts Council funded film at Cobalt Studios on Tuesday at 6.30pm. Hear our wonderful storytellers talking about their lives and see the books we had made for them to treasure.

19/02/2020

The final showing of our Arts Council funded film Pieces of my Jigsaw takes place next Tuesday at Cobalt Studios, Newcastle at 6.30pm. We will be bringing along our banners and fabulous handmade books.
If you know someone living with dementia, this might inspire you to get creative!

19/02/2020

Here is Mo Healy our fantastic book artist, alongside her work in two exhibitions at Woodhorn Museum. She is a busy bee!

Had a run up the county to Woodhorn today to see some of my recent work in 2 different exhibitions in the Museum !

16/02/2020

A wonderful story with so much common sense.

Sally Percival, Chair of National Co-Production Advisory Group and TLAP talks about her personal experience of caring with her mother who had dementia at the...

15/02/2020

So much happening at Woodhorn this week including our exhibition!
See beautiful books made by Mo Healy, illustrated by Bethan Laker and Katie Chappell. Hear stories from our fabulous storytellers David, Anne, Andrea and Mary and catch snippets of the songs I wrote for them, using their own words as much as possible.
If you can’t make it to Woodhorn, we’ll be at Cobalt Studios on 25th February at 6.30pm showing our Arts Council funded film and talking about using the arts to improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia and their families.

15/02/2020

Nice to see our exhibition at Woodhorn listed in The Crack!

11/02/2020

Our exhibition is now at Woodhorn Museum along with a short version of our Arts Council funded film.

We snuck into the museum today, even though it was officially closed, to set up the banners and glass cases, and it looks fantastic!

Huge thanks to Rowan Brown, CEO of Museums Northumberland, for supporting our project right from the start and inviting us to display it at Woodhorn, and to Jo Raw and Debbie Hill for helping to get it all sorted!

10/02/2020

Our Pieces of my Jigsaw exhibition opens at Woodhorn Colliery Museum on Wednesday and will be there right through half term until Sunday 23rd February.
You can see our beautiful books and banners plus a shortened version of our Arts Council funded film.
Why not plan a day out and see the amazing art exhibition that’s on there too. See if you can spot a beautiful mixed media piece by our fabulous book artist Mo Healy; Artist-Printmaker.

08/02/2020

My wife Rosie coming joint first in the Songwriter of the year award with her song 'Sally Smith's Lament'

Cash prize plus a paid gig later in year!

Watch her video here:

Www.vimeo.com/crackintoast/sallysmithslament

The Smith family, who we featured in our film 'In the Pink- World War One Stories from the Gaunless Valley' inspired me to write this song. I have been…

06/02/2020

Thank you Mo. Great working with you.

Headed out to Hexham Abbey to see Rosie Anderson’s fantastic exhibition ‘Pieces of my Jigsaw’ project which l have really enjoyed taking part in. I constructed 8 handmade books for this project using illustrations by and -illustrator which were recorded live in conversations about memories- beautiful work to view in the Abbey this week.