How to help preserve the Battery

TODAY WE TALK TO BLYTH BATTERY VOLUNTEERS LTD

What will you do with this year’s Wish money? We need uniforms and we have had a horrendous season with graffiti so our paint reserves need renewing. It would be fantastic to give our cafe a revamp as well. Donations are down this year – and funding so hard to secure – so it would make our maintenance work so much easier if we had some extra cash. Tell us about your group. Blyth Battery has been open for eight years now.

We are a group of volunteers and our aim is to protect the battery through maintenance work and educate people on WW1 and WW2. We do a lot of work with schools and we hold events when we can.

We have around 36 volunteers, with about 15 we can rely on to help out every weekend What kind of activities take place at your group? We are a very friendly group of volunteers – there is a job for everyone at the battery.

We have nights out and enjoy meeting up for coffee. Who is the longest serving member of your group? We joined about 11 years ago and have been there ever since. Tell us about the biggest or best activity or event your group has organised. We have a ‘Blyth Battery Goes to War’ event every May which brings people to Blyth from all over the country. There are living history displays, military vehicles and 1940s live entertainment.

It all makes for a great free day out. What is your group’s proudest moment to date? We had a service for some soldiers who died at Blyth beach 100 years ago which went so well.

But it is the little things like seeing an older resident’s eyes light up at the 1940 room or a person talking about their war experiences. Why should someone join your group? We look on each other as family. What makes you proud to be from the North East using five words? Friendliness, honesty and joyful natives.