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Alison Stenning

@alisonstenning.bsky.social
7.6K followers 1.3K following 4.9K posts

Geographer - Professor - Mum - Playing - #playstreets - Cycling - #kidicalmass - #WarOnCars - Walking - Noticing - Green - North Tyneside - North Shields - UK

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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 1h
Nurdles collected today on North Shields Fish Quay beach by one of the paid clear-up team (who also works ridiculous hours as a volunteer; his video). This gives some sense of the scale of the task, 10 weeks after the spill.
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 10h
"The word is carnage, it is carnage what they are doing now" UK universities today:
theguardian.com
Edinburgh joins UK universities heading for strikes as cuts spread through entire sector
Students at Edinburgh, Dundee and Nottingham face a term without any teaching as sector struggles with rising financial uncertainty
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Cllr Owen Burbidge 🔶 @oburbidge.bsky.social · 11h
It's been difficult to keep this properly under wraps but I can now finally talk about this! Today Dott bikes have launched a new cycle hire scheme in Newcastle - providing residents a proper alternative to car use within the City. We have taken learnings from previous schemes (eNeuron and Mobike)
A photograph of a teal and red Dott bike positioned under the Father Tyne sculpture.
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
North Shields Fish Quay beach this evening. It’s like this the full stretch of the beach, apparently, along the tideline and with parallel strands. (Not my photo)
Thousands of little white nurdles with seaweed and debris on the beach at North Shields Fish Quay
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Fog on (or above) the Tyne - foghorn sounding regularly, another one of things I love about living on the river.
Thick fog above a car wash and other roofs, in North Shields, on the Tyne.
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Every month of 2026 has been warmer than average in the UK. #climatecrisis
bbc.co.uk
UK weather: Temperatures to hit 26C in burst of late September warmth
Temperatures are expected to rise well above the late September average on Tuesday with a very warm night to follow, as Simon King explains.
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The nurdles on our Tyneside coast are back with a vengeance today, both depressing in and of itself but also a clear indication of what will happen periodically over the coming months and years and tides and winds bring some of the many millions of plastic pellets still swirling around in our seas.
Thousands of white nurdles (plastic pellets) strewn across Whitley Bay beach, amidst seaweed and sand. Thousands of white nurdles (plastic pellets) strewn across North Shields Fish Quay beach, amidst seaweed and sand. Thousands of white nurdles (plastic pellets) strewn across a beach, amidst seaweed and sand.
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A street near my new house has just started doing a regular #playstreet. It makes me very happy to see chalked roads every few weeks.
A road surface with white road markings and lots of coloured chalking
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Solidarity to Edinburgh University colleagues - no one takes the decision to strike for 5 weeks lightly. Millions of pounds of cuts and thousands of jobs at risk, despite Edinburgh having no deficit. And solidarity too to strikers at Dundee and Glasgow Caledonian.
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Louise Amoore @amoorelouise.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
It is the responsibility of every securely employed/tenured professor to do everything they can to challenge this academic environment. That means speaking up institutionally & taking decisions with less secure colleagues at the forefront of our minds.
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Last day to have your say on franchising plans for north east buses. Check out @northeastptug.bsky.social’s next post for suggestions for responses. Should help to make this an easy job.
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Caroline Russell @carolinerussell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I ask these questions constantly. We have decent goals, targets and strategies in London but there’s no real consequences when we expose they’re not being met. Everyone seems stuck in a soup of business as usual, budget restraint and fear that challenging car first culture will worsen division.
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Cllr Owen Burbidge 🔶 @oburbidge.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
This is what we are up against. It’s why I’ve always said the under 16 social media ban doesn’t go far enough. We shouldn’t be banning it for children, we should be properly regulating it for everyone. This is scary. How do we fight this?
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“One bus service in the North East had 710% more child passengers than last summer.”
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North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Haven't had your say on the future of the North East's buses yet? It's now or never! Please fill in the consultation to call for public control, integration with other public transport modes, simpler fares, and more bus priority! The consultation closes at 9am on Monday. Important links below⬇️
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Sounds like the council simply ‘noted’ the petition and refused to reconsider its decision. Extremely disappointing, as the campaigners say.
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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
🚨 New on Substack, my post on the Meadow Well estate, North Shields. The estate became infamous for its 1991 riots but they were part of a much more complex and richer history. municipaldreams.substack.com/p/the-meadow...
municipaldreams.substack.com
The Meadow Well Estate, North Shields I: ‘a victim of labelling’
‘Decent people living on a decent estate’ – that’s how Carole Bell, a Meadow Well community activist wanted people to think of the Estate in 2012.
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
An exciting night at North Tyneside full council this evening, with a petition-forced debate about the closure of High Borrans, 3 nurdle motions, one "ambition for a clean Tyne" motion, and more (including the Tories trying to remove the previous mayor from the chair of a Pride in Place board).
democracy.northtyneside.gov.uk
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
And again ⛴️
The DFDS ferry from Amsterdam arriving in North Shields, as seen from the high street (Bedford St)
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Not a dicky bird about thugs trying to sink a dinghy with a rescue worker on board or their claims to be "forming an army". Two boats of people seeking safety land and bingo bango they're the ones portrayed as the issue. Labour is complict in the rise of the far right. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Home Secretary hits out at 'unacceptable' migrant landings in Kent
Usually brought ashore by Border Security Command or the RNLI, these are the first uncontrolled landings since 2025.
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Hackney Cyclist @hackneycyclist.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Eerste van der Helststraat, Amsterdam, in 1982 and today. A street once dominated by parked cars to a car free place for people, with children playing, greenery and cafés making use of reclaimed outdoor space. This is what’s possible when we choose to redesign our streets for life, not storage.
Split-screen comparison of Eerste van der Helststraat in Amsterdam in 1982 and today. The historical black-and-white photo shows the street with parked cars on both sides of the street, a cyclist and pedestrians. The modern colour photo shows the same street transformed into a car-free public space, with trees, plants, outdoor seating, pedestrians and children playing hopscotch.
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Emma Yeomans @yeomans.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Worrying scenes in the Channel today, for all interested in asylum policy and maritime tactics. A small boat from Normandy spent more than 30 hours at sea. Those on board now on their 2nd rescue vessel as Border Force forced to play cat and mouse with far-right activists who have their own boat.
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Following on from our event in June 2026, Shiremoor Adventure Playground Trust is inviting local play supporters to be involved in setting up a Play Network in the North East. We are holding a networking event at Shiremoor Adventure Playground on Tuesday 20th October 2026. lnkd.in/p/eVrW7-ys
lnkd.in
North East Play Network Inaugural Meeting | Alison Stenning
Inaugural North East Play Network - October 20th 2026 Come and meet fellow children's play providers and help start up a network for the North East! Following on from our event in June 2026, Shiremo...
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Carfree Cities Alliance @carfree-cities.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Happy World Carfree Day! 🚲 🚲 🚲 Here our poster and theme "Fewer Cars, Cooler City" We have this, and other posters for download on our website: www.carfreealliance.org/world-carfre... (and other fun stuff) The Carfree Cities Alliance wishes you a joyful and happy day today! :-)
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Ugh. This is new one for my upcoming austerity lecture. Perhaps this should be a bit more front and centre when we’re discussing much of what we see in British politics and society today.
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Caroline Russell @carolinerussell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Summer of terrifying drought and wildfire, bus drivers sweltering in shocking temperatures, everyone losing sleep unable to get cool at night and *this* is the policy they come up with? Just makes things worse and does nothing to address inequality or enable people to walk, cycle or catch a bus. 🤷‍♀️
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
‘To the person who says it's a snowflake generation, just try living 24 hours as a 16-year-old.’ BBC interview with Peter Fonagy FBA ahead of his report launch later this week www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Young people are not snowflakes, head of mental health review says
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Prof Fonagy says being young is much harder now than it was.
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Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Elswick kids, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1978, photo by Tish Murtha.
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Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Demolition, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1975, photo by Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen.
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Kinda chic to spot the ferry from Amsterdam arriving as you head to the metro -
The DFDS ferry from Amsterdam arriving in Port of Tyne, viewed from North Shields high street (Bedford St).
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North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Bus late again this morning? Forced to drive because the journey to work would take twice as long by bus? Well you've only got one more week to have your say in the North East bus branching consultation! Please respond and call for better buses across our region. Link and pointers below!
A graphic reminding people that the consultation closes in one week.
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Mike Cookson 🔶 🇪🇺🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @mikecookson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I believe in honesty in politics. I see the new Councillors in Newcastle have started hosting surgeries and advertising them online.
AI Slop Poster
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Northumberland, on a sunny but breezy September afternoon -
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Engineer Like A Girl @engineerlikeagirl.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Terrible policy when domestic transport is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases in the UK. We need to be going all-in on helping people AWAY from reliance on fossil fuels, not subsidising their use even more than we already do.
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Cool Bike Art @coolbikeart1.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Hoverton Hill, Stockton-on-Tees, UK 1970s 📷 Robin Dale
Photo of two children, plus a partial arm visible of one more, playing outdoors on a lawn. One is standing astride a bicycle.
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Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
“Don’t bring a union rep” is one of those sentences that always means your employer is going you treat you with respect and dignity
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Felicity Callard @felicitycallard.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Trying to describe what it’s like working inside British universities at the moment is very hard. One small vignette: not a single week of my teaching this semester looks the same as any other. We have virtually no courses/modules that are taught by
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Anna Girling @annagirling.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
These cuts disproportionately target the arts & humanities: the Business School loses only three courses; the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures loses 48 – many of these are joint degrees, removing the optional breadth of study which has always been one of the appeals of a Scottish degree
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Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
NINETY programmes, fucking hell
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I've recently moved to a small set of streets that are almost an LTN (though you can drive through), enabled by two streets closed at one end to motor vehicles. I was curious when and why this happened. Maps in 1990s still show the streets open, but locals suggest they were closed in 1970s.
A set of streets in North Shields, with two closed to traffic at the southern end (connecting to Brandlibg Terrace)Bollards and a buildout behind barriers where a road has been closed to motor vehicles. Bollards and a buildout behind barriers where a road has been closed to motor vehicles.
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
“This research reveals stark inequalities in access to nature across England, with direct parallels between economic and nature deprivation.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Access to nature inequalities ‘on par with Victorian Britain’s filthy air’
Research finds many in England lack proximity to green and blue spaces as Wildlife Trusts call on Labour to speed up manifesto promise
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
“The belief that a driver should be allowed to do whatever they please, regardless of the impact on others, mounts the pavement and travels deep into our lives.”
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Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
On a call organised by community volunteers & independent councillors (@tynetom.bsky.social) about some next steps regarding responses to the Tyne nurdle spill - there are 4 nurdle motions going to North Tyneside Council next Thurs, including a cross-party motion for an “Ambition for a Clean Tyne”.
Motion 4 - Ambition For a Clean Tyne
Proposed by: Councillor Tom Bailey
Seconded by: Councillor Helen Bell
Signatories: Councillor Jay Bartoli, Councillor Martin Osborne, Councillor Lewis Bartoli, Councillor lan McAlpine, Councillor Josephene Mudzingwa, Councillor
Judith Wallace
Council notes with great concern that two significant outfalls of raw sewage The Tyne have occurred in the last month at the same time as volunteers have been working to clear the nurdle spill. Council notes that figures show that the River Tyne Saline Estuary experienced 840 sewage discharges in 2025, lasting a total of 5,716 hours.

i. Council thanks residents and the volunteer community for their outstanding work in responding to the nurdle spill protecting our beaches from further damage, despite the risks to health incurred during and after outfall events.
ii.
Council endorses the suggestion from the volunteer community that we should not just aim to recover from the nurdle spill disaster, and get back what we had, but instead aim for a better and cleaner Tyne.
ill.
Council believes North Tyneside's natural environment is a precious asset which requires protection for future generations.
iv.
Council believes the sewage crisis is a national scandal. It is unacceptable that Water Companies pay their executives millions of pounds in pay, pensions and bonuses while polluting continues.
V.
Council believes that local residents should not bear the cost of improving infrastructure to reduce sewage discharges through increased water bills.
vi.
Council recognises the scale of the challenge. Council notes that changing rainfall due to climate change, and house-building will place additional pressure on water infrastructure. Council looks forward to working with Northumbrian Water to address these challenges.
vii.
Council welcomes the progress made in Cullercoats where officers, Northumbrian Water and the Environment Agency are working together to tackle contaminated groundwater.
viii.
Council not…commitments and timescales to improve infrastructure, reduce sewage discharges and clean up The Tyne.
b - Requests that the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny investigate the costs and scope of convening a water summit bringing together Northumbria Water, Regional and Local Government, environmental charities and community campaigners to work together to improve water quality across North Tyneside and along The Tyne.
c - Asks the Mayor to appoint a Water Quality champion from among the membership of this Council and report back to Council.
Legal and Financial Implications in relation to this Motion will be circulated prior to the meeting.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 16/09/2026
Greens just four points behind Labour in urban areas, poll reveals
theguardian.com
Greens just four points behind Labour in urban areas, poll reveals
Exclusive: Party could take 40 seats if result replicated at next election, according to Labour-linked thinktank The Green party is just four points behind Labour in urban constituencies, putting them within touching distance of taking as many as 40 seats if the result was replicated at the next election, according to new polling by a Labour-linked thinktank. The survey by ThinkLabour, which has extensive links to Andy Burnham’s government, finds that urban voters have moved in large numbers towards Zack Polanski’s party since the 2024 general election. The research highlights the challenge Labour faces holding onto the Holborn and St Pancras seat in the face of a challenge from Polanski himself at next month’s byelection. Continue reading...
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Very nice to hear a sane voice from Piddington. Serious respect to this woman, who is apparently already being othered by more bigoted villagers.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
🔴950 people have now taken Democracy for Sale's survey about big money in British politics How worried are you about politics for sale? Should donations be capped? Do take the survey - and share it! thanks 😀 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
How concerned are you about UK political funding? – A Democracy for Sale survey
We're Democracy for Sale, a newsletter covering dark money and influence in UK politics. We're trying to better understand our readers' and the wider public's opinions and concerns about political fun...
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Hackney Cyclist @hackneycyclist.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A very common sight in the Netherlands: entire classes cycling together with their teachers on school field trips. Made possible because safe, convenient cycle routes are built into the transport network nationwide.
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Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵 @threadinburgh.scot · 15/09/2026
*Every* school should have all through roads festooned with Zebra and Puffin crossings and every side street made a school street. No consultation, no debate, just implemented. And yes, inconveniencing and slowing down traffic is *THE WHOLE POINT*. It shouldn't be controversial or difficult.
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Commute de Paris @commutedeparis.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Mamans. Paris, 15 septembre.
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Daniel C. Blight @danielcblight.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
***URGENT PLEASE SHARE*** University of Brighton management have announced today that they ‘give notice of termination of all collective agreements’. This is a fundamental erasure of workers' rights. Management have announced the termination of all contractual documents, which includes:
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