On the 16th October at 6pm, the Royal Society of Arts’ Newcastle Network will join forces Northumbria University School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries for their monthly ‘Encounter’, where Fellows and university staff and students have an opportunity to hear from guest speaker Julie Blackie about her extraordinary life and career.
Julie grew up in Benwell, left school at 15 without taking any exams and had the first of her 4 children at 16. Her involvement with Gingerbread, an organisation for one parent families, in the late 70s led to her taking up further education at Sunderland Polytechnic and becoming a community worker, FE Teacher and later getting Masters degrees in Public Policy Studies and in Media Studies.
Julie will discuss her experiences in community work, and later as project manager of multiple regeneration projects; her foray into theatre and TV drama (writing 25 episodes of Casualty and Hollyoaks), building a theatre in the Ouseburn valley, and then accidentally becoming a business woman - establishing a fashion business with her daughter which grew to create 75 jobs and a turnover of £25m a year. She has also owned a hotel, 3 other clothing businesses and bought, renovated and sold around 25 properties over the last 20 years. She continues to write drama and has co-written 2 novels under the name of Nicky Black. Her remarkable story crosses subject areas from business to creative writing, and from regeneration to fashion.
Please register if you’d like to hear from Julie, with drinks and networking afterwards. The venue is building 6 on the campus map here.
Taking part in RSA in-person events
To participate in the event, you will need to register for a ticket so we can make sure we have an up-to-date list of those who plan on attending. If you wish to register another attendee, this must be done separately using a different email address. This is for capacity purposes. We encourage all attendees that are ill or showing symptoms of illness to stay home and to cancel your Eventbrite ticket if you are no longer able to join the event.
At the RSA, we strive to create inclusive and supportive environments for all Fellows. We recognise that individuals may require different forms of support to fully participate in our events and activities. Therefore, we welcome and encourage Fellows to bring the support they feel is necessary, whether it be a carer, an emotional support animal, or any other form of assistance. We ask that you fill out the accessibility requirements box in your Eventbrite booking form in advance of attending one of our events to ensure that the venues can accommodate such requirements. Our aim is to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and valued, and we are committed to accommodating diverse needs to foster an inclusive community.
Data: By registering for this event, you consent to receiving communications about this event, both before and after, and you agree to the sharing of your name, organisation & title with the Fellow(s) and/or partner organisation(s) hosting this event. Attendees also agree to the sharing of their name and organisation with other delegates at the event so that they might contact you through MyRSA. If you do not wish this information to be shared, please let us know by emailing: fellowship@rsa.org.uk. The information you provide when registering for an event will be retained by the RSA and will be used to record attendance at the event. To understand more about how the RSA uses your data, please see our Privacy Policy.
Please be aware that registrations will close two hours before the event is due to start.
