'The march is alive in the minds of Jarrow today'

The march by 200 men from Jarrow to London to demand jobs is being remembered in an exhibition on its 90th anniversary.

South Tyneside Council has arranged a display of artefacts from the Jarrow Crusade, featuring photographs, paintings, antiques and information displays in the Town Hall.

In 1936, the men marched about 300 miles (483km) from Jarrow in protest over a lack of investment and employment in their area.

The Mayor of South Tyneside, Stan Wildhirt, said he hoped people would visit the exhibition as the march's "history must resonate today" and its legacy was "still alive in the minds of the people of Jarrow".

It will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 until 14.00.

Among the many objects on display is one of the banners carried by the men who undertook the 26-day journey.

Many men living in Jarrow relied on Palmer's shipyard for employment and its closure left them without work.

Two-hundred of them walked to Parliament to demand work and draw attention to the people at home living in poverty.

Wildhirt said the marchers' sense of community and persistence drove them to fight for more opportunities.

He said: "It wasn't just the march that was a huge undertaking, it was the fact that they were carrying the weight of the town on their shoulders, because they had the hopes, aspirations and fears for change in the whole town.

"It's very important for people to come and see the exhibition, the history must resonate today.

"It's not just history, it's our relatives' history.

"The legacy of that march is talked about through generations, it's still alive in the minds of the people of Jarrow today".

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