:00:15. > :00:19.Hello and welcome to the great north passion.
:00:20. > :00:23.For months communities here in the North East have been preparing, like
:00:24. > :00:32.others across the world, to tell the story of Good Friday. Today we're
:00:33. > :00:38.coming together to recount Jesus' journey from condemnation to
:00:39. > :00:41.crucifixion. Over the next hour this unique and live spectacle will trace
:00:42. > :00:43.the steps he took over 2,000 years ago, finding out what they mean in
:00:44. > :00:48.today's world. It is a powerful story which has
:00:49. > :01:29.been told many times rather like this.
:01:30. > :01:37.Good Friday is a time when Christians focus on the story which
:01:38. > :01:40.forms the bedrock of their faith. There is no more apt than to tell
:01:41. > :01:48.that story than here in the North East of England, a region recognised
:01:49. > :01:54.as being the cradle of early Christianity in this country. 1,000
:01:55. > :01:59.years ago, the Venerable Bede, a renowned early Christian historian
:02:00. > :02:04.lived a mile away. It is also home to Saint Cuthbert, famed for his
:02:05. > :02:09.unending kindness, whose final resting place is at the heart of
:02:10. > :02:14.Durham Cathedral. We've created a cathedral sized
:02:15. > :02:19.structure out of 60 shipping containers. Why? Well, because
:02:20. > :02:26.shipping and trade with overseas is the life-blood of region and local
:02:27. > :02:32.people are going to tell the Good Friday story by remembering the 12
:02:33. > :02:35.Stations of the Cross. In Christian tradition each Station
:02:36. > :02:40.tells an individual moment in Christ's journey to his death on the
:02:41. > :02:44.first Good Friday. So why do we call it Good Friday? Well explain that
:02:45. > :02:50.later. But first, to introduce the stations are the communities of the
:02:51. > :03:07.North East and Alexandra Burke singing Amazing Grace.
:03:08. > :03:25.Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
:03:26. > :03:36.# I once was lost, but now am found. # Was blind, but now I see.
:03:37. > :03:50.# 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear.
:03:51. > :04:05.# And grace my fears relieved. # How precious did that grace appear
:04:06. > :04:15.the hour I first believed. # When we've been there 10,000
:04:16. > :04:27.years. # Bright shining as the sun.
:04:28. > :04:43.# We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we'd first begun.
:04:44. > :05:05.# Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
:05:06. > :05:37.# I once was lost, but now am found. # Was blind, but now I see. #
:05:38. > :05:41.APPLAUSE Wonderful Alexandra Burke and there
:05:42. > :05:46.is more from her later. Each station of the cross has a distinct theme as
:05:47. > :05:51.Jesus walked to his death, he was faced with exhaustion. Humiliation,
:05:52. > :05:56.kindness and ultimately self sacrifice. The journey symbolises
:05:57. > :06:01.the difficulties of all our lives, carrying meaning for everyone of all
:06:02. > :06:06.faiths and none. 40 days ago, the start of Lent, communities across
:06:07. > :06:09.the North East welcomed individual shipping containers each
:06:10. > :06:17.representing a different station and theme.
:06:18. > :06:22.Since then, they have been exploring what these themes mean to them
:06:23. > :06:28.through working with artists to produce koopb contemporary pieces of
:06:29. > :06:33.art and they have shared their personal experiences and stories. We
:06:34. > :06:41.start at the first station of the cross where Jesus told Pontius
:06:42. > :06:50.Pilate. He asked the question what, is truth?
:06:51. > :06:58.How would the people who live and work in North Tyneside's Fish Quay
:06:59. > :07:05.answer that question? All my life I have been contacted
:07:06. > :07:09.with this area, Fish Quay. I like the friendship, most of all, the
:07:10. > :07:15.characters. I am proud to be a part of it.
:07:16. > :07:19.The truth is, when you are born in the North East, you end up being a
:07:20. > :07:24.fisherman more or less. I have always known what the truth is. I am
:07:25. > :07:27.a fisherman through and through, from three-year-old, that's a canny
:07:28. > :07:31.life sentence! It is hard actually to describe What
:07:32. > :07:36.Is Truth. It is being honest with yourself, is it? Being honest with
:07:37. > :07:43.yourself? I would say it is being honest with
:07:44. > :07:46.someone and being trustworthy. The trust is, life isn't always fair,
:07:47. > :07:52.but always remember it is a good life and enjoy it!
:07:53. > :07:57.Richard is working with a local community on Fish Quay to find out
:07:58. > :08:01.what truth means to them today. Jesus talks about, you know, his
:08:02. > :08:07.reason for being on earth, his word is the truth. Pontius Pilate asks
:08:08. > :08:11.him What Is Truth? That truck me as -- struck me as quite a question,
:08:12. > :08:19.quite a thing to answer. So, What Is Truth? That which is
:08:20. > :08:23.fact and not opinion. Don't rush it. The communities truths are gathered
:08:24. > :08:31.in the container. The dinosaur is in the bag!
:08:32. > :08:36.I might share your chips! I asked me Mrs, I said, "What Is Truth?" I
:08:37. > :08:40.looked on the internet as well because I want to know what the
:08:41. > :08:48.truth means really. Faith is sort of bedrock of truth.
:08:49. > :08:57.The finishing touch, a ship of truth is mounted on top of the container
:08:58. > :09:01.at Fish Quay before it sails over the River Tyne.
:09:02. > :09:11.# As I went down to the river to pray.
:09:12. > :09:31.# Studying about that good old wa # The good Lord show me the way.
:09:32. > :09:36.# O sisters let's go down. # Down to the river to pray.
:09:37. > :09:38.# As I went down to the river to pray.
:09:39. > :09:41.# Studying about that good old way. # And who shall wear the robe and
:09:42. > :09:45.crown? # Good Lord show me the way.
:09:46. > :09:50.# O brothers let's go down. # Let's go down, come on down.
:09:51. > :09:57.# Come on brothers, let's go down. # Down to the river to pray.
:09:58. > :10:01.# As I went down to the river to pray.
:10:02. > :10:04.# Studying about that good old way. # And who shall wear the starry
:10:05. > :10:11.crown? # Good Lord show me the way.
:10:12. > :10:18.# O fathers let's go down. # Let's go down, come on down.
:10:19. > :10:25.# O fathers let's go down. # Down to the river to pray.
:10:26. > :10:31.# As I went down to the river to pray.
:10:32. > :10:36.# Studying about that good old way. # And who shall wear the starry
:10:37. > :10:40.crown? # Good Lord show me the way.
:10:41. > :10:43.# O mothers let's go down. # Come on down, don't you want to go
:10:44. > :10:53.down? # Come on mothers, let's go down.
:10:54. > :10:56.# Down to the river to pray. # As I went down to the river to
:10:57. > :11:02.pray. # Studying about that good old way.
:11:03. > :11:05.# And who shall wear the starry crown?
:11:06. > :11:27.# Good Lord show me the way. # Good Lord show me the way. #
:11:28. > :11:32.APPLAUSE The wonderful David and Ross. Having
:11:33. > :11:40.been condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, Jesus is given the Cross and
:11:41. > :11:45.told to carry it to Calvary. It is has become the central symbol of the
:11:46. > :11:49.Christian faith. As Jesus takes his first steps towards crucifixion, he
:11:50. > :11:55.is weighed down by what will be the instrument of his death, it is the
:11:56. > :12:00.burden and he must carry it alone. For the last 40 daysings the
:12:01. > :12:03.community in -- days, the community in South Tyneside has been preparing
:12:04. > :12:08.to tell this part of the Passion Story.
:12:09. > :12:11.In our community we've got a hugely diverse set of people and it has
:12:12. > :12:15.been really helpful to say to the young people in our school, "You
:12:16. > :12:18.have got to remember that people are coming to school. They have maybe
:12:19. > :12:22.had a bad experience at home. They have been maybe told bad news,
:12:23. > :12:27.whether that's the death of a relative for a pet." That's young
:12:28. > :12:32.people carrying a burden so welcome link that into the great north
:12:33. > :12:36.passion and looking at looking at Christ's suffering and to
:12:37. > :12:40.incorporate those qualities into dance has been a challenge, but a
:12:41. > :12:43.real success for our young people. There is reference to say prison and
:12:44. > :12:48.oppression and people have different struggles in every day lives.
:12:49. > :12:51.You getting away from somewhere where you don't want to be. So
:12:52. > :13:28.someone dragging you back from your future.
:13:29. > :13:34.This modern dance piece has been created using movements of trying to
:13:35. > :15:31.break free and being pulled back to reflect the theme of burden.
:15:32. > :15:43.APPLAUSE. In Christian tradition, Jesus'
:15:44. > :15:47.journey towards crucifixion is marked on Good Friday by processions
:15:48. > :15:50.of witness. Today, in that tradition, The Great North Passion's
:15:51. > :15:58.Witnesses are following the Good Friday story, by linking station to
:15:59. > :16:07.station. Condemned, given his cross, they now reach the Third Station.
:16:08. > :16:13.Here Jesus, weighed down by the sheer weight of the Cross, falls to
:16:14. > :16:16.his knees. Surrounded by a heckling crowd, his exhaustion is compounded
:16:17. > :16:27.by his being completely isolated. Abandoned, forsaken, alone. The
:16:28. > :16:34.community around a church in Red House, Sunderland, named after Saint
:16:35. > :16:41.Cuthbert, have been exploring the feelings of isolation and
:16:42. > :16:44.exhaustion. Saint Cuthbert lived on Holy Island, home to Lindesfarne
:16:45. > :16:50.Gospels. Saint Cuthbert sought answers to questions around his
:16:51. > :16:53.faith, through prolonged times of solitude, as well as in serving
:16:54. > :17:00.others in the community. I think it is a diverse community.
:17:01. > :17:03.It is a really nice mix. A mixture of generations, people here are
:17:04. > :17:12.friendly. I have found that the church members are supportive.
:17:13. > :17:17.John's Gospel is my favourite Easter morning story it begins in the dark
:17:18. > :17:24.with a woman crying for what she has lost. That really resonated with me.
:17:25. > :17:27.The vicar of Saint Cuthbert's, Tracy Reynolds found herself asking
:17:28. > :17:32.profound questions after her daughter was seriously injured in a
:17:33. > :17:38.car accident. Where was God? Was he really there at all? Was she alone
:17:39. > :17:44.in her suffering, abandoned? I was ex-housed. Going to hospital at
:17:45. > :17:49.6.00am, not getting home until after midnight. It was a tiredness that
:17:50. > :17:55.feels it is inside your bones. Like it will never go away, etched there
:17:56. > :17:59.forever. I thought I don't know if I will get out of this. I had to keep
:18:00. > :18:04.on going. Finally, coming to a point where I was able to recognise, if
:18:05. > :18:09.this was the journey that Jesus had taken, and that he had felt the
:18:10. > :18:14.things that I felt but still clung to his Father, then maybe I could
:18:15. > :18:21.hold his hand. One of the ways that Tracy was able
:18:22. > :18:27.to come to terms with the trauma of her daughter's accident was through
:18:28. > :18:30.art and poetry. It is this that inspires Mohammed Ali's work on the
:18:31. > :18:35.container. When I was introduced to Tracy from
:18:36. > :18:40.the church, hearing her story and the poem, hearing how she felt and
:18:41. > :18:51.the feelings of isolation, being alone it was really striking. There
:18:52. > :18:59.were words like "anger", " tears", " pain." As a graffiti artist, with
:19:00. > :19:03.the art and the words, I felt something no different than the
:19:04. > :19:13.Lindesfarne Gospels. Just shapes, almost coming alive in front of you.
:19:14. > :19:19.Isolation is one of the moments of the suffering of Jeffs. Reflected in
:19:20. > :19:29.Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, inspired by the passion Passion Story story
:19:30. > :19:44.story. It is sung by The Great North Passion's Choir and the communities
:19:45. > :19:53.of the North East. # Ave, ave verum corpus. # Natum de
:19:54. > :20:09.Maria Virgine. # Vere passum, immolatum, # In cruce
:20:10. > :20:41.pro homine, # Cujus latus perforatum.
:20:42. > :22:15.# Esto nobis praegustatum, # In mortis examine, # In mortis examine.
:22:16. > :22:28.APPLAUSE. The story reaches the Fourth Station
:22:29. > :22:31.Of The Cross. Here the suffering of others is also recognised. Jesus'
:22:32. > :22:40.mother, Mary, catches sight of her son. Vulnerable and weakened. She
:22:41. > :22:46.knew she was watching her worse possible nightmare: The loss of her
:22:47. > :22:49.child. That theme became the subject of a
:22:50. > :23:02.moving project in the heart of Sunderland. I like living around
:23:03. > :23:09.here it is a lovely community. You think you are alone sometimes but
:23:10. > :23:13.you are not. You are never alone. I love Sunderland, and I'm proud to
:23:14. > :23:19.live in Sunderland. Photographic artist, Julian Germain
:23:20. > :23:26.is working with Julie Ray, who lost her son, Peter, in a tragic
:23:27. > :23:32.accident. He was 13 years old. Julian is to use the container to
:23:33. > :23:37.interpret the theme of a mother's grief.
:23:38. > :23:43.He is to display film and photographs of Julie's son. .
:23:44. > :23:52.This was my daughter's wedding day. He was smart as a carrot! I found it
:23:53. > :24:01.very painful to be quite honest. Bringing lots of old photographs of
:24:02. > :24:05.Peter. It was not forgotten about. This was all the different memories
:24:06. > :24:11.coming flooding back. I got a telephone call to say that Pete fell
:24:12. > :24:16.off a swing. I thought, I will get to the hospital and it will be a
:24:17. > :24:25.couple of stitches or... Unfortunately, he had swelling on
:24:26. > :24:36.the brain. They just couldn't save him.
:24:37. > :24:42.You never think you are going to ever survive. You wonder how you get
:24:43. > :24:49.up every day. But you do. You find the strength from somewhere. Through
:24:50. > :24:54.our Peter's Trust Fund, I have met people who have been through a
:24:55. > :25:00.mother's grief. When you have a little understanding of that raw
:25:01. > :25:06.pain, what nobody would understand it, unless you have been through it.
:25:07. > :25:14.I think sometimes you get frightened, will I forget this, will
:25:15. > :25:18.forget that, will I forget his voice? Of course, you don't. I think
:25:19. > :25:23.that the photographs bring that out. That is why you trough them.
:25:24. > :25:39.Reflecting on the theme of love and loss is Alexandra Burke, with her
:25:40. > :25:45.song, Where Do Hearts Go. # You gave me my wings to fly, baby
:25:46. > :25:53.oh, way up high. # You, showed me that love could
:25:54. > :26:01.bring anything, you. # Lifting my soul inside, to clear
:26:02. > :26:08.blue skies. # You, listened to me to see all I
:26:09. > :26:12.can be. # I'll let you know, I don't know
:26:13. > :26:18.what your love means. # Are you near or far?
:26:19. > :26:23.# I need to know, I don't want to waste one more hour,
:26:24. > :26:35.# Wondering where you are. # And where do hearts go?
:26:36. > :26:42.# Where do hearts go? # When the love goes.
:26:43. > :26:48.# I see the light, # My wings will fly.
:26:49. > :26:54.# I know my heart will breathe again.
:26:55. > :27:11.# For you, one day. # Our love will smile again.
:27:12. > :27:14.# I said you, brought joy and amazing things
:27:15. > :27:23.# Gave everything. # Yeah, you
:27:24. > :27:31.# You were the fountain side I could never hide from.
:27:32. > :27:38.# You brought out the best in me, # For all to see.
:27:39. > :27:44.# Yeah, you, made me believe in me, # You set me free.
:27:45. > :27:48.# I'll let you know, I don't know what your love means.
:27:49. > :27:55.# Are you near or far? # I need to know, don't want to
:27:56. > :28:00.waste one more hour, # Wondering where you are.
:28:01. > :28:12.# Where you are. # Where do hearts go?
:28:13. > :28:18.# When the love goes. # Yes, I see the light.
:28:19. > :28:27.# My wings will fly. # I know my heart will breathe
:28:28. > :28:43.again, for you. # One day, our love will shine
:28:44. > :28:55.again. #
:28:56. > :28:59.APPLAUSE. Station Six of the cross cease Jesus
:29:00. > :29:03.surrounded by a hostile, baying crowd. But as re-counted by some of
:29:04. > :29:09.the earliest Christian communities, a woman called Veronica, against the
:29:10. > :29:15.will of the mob, steps out and wipes Jesus' face it is a simple act but
:29:16. > :29:19.it sums up a universal act, held equally by all faiths, that is
:29:20. > :29:23.compassion and kindness. It is a theme fitting for the location.
:29:24. > :29:28.Minutes from here, one of the first lifeboats was launched. It is an
:29:29. > :29:35.example of how people risk their own lives to save others.
:29:36. > :29:40.For peoples at the local South Shields School, it is a theme that
:29:41. > :29:46.is part of their critic column in preparation for the Good Friday
:29:47. > :29:55.story it is a unique poem on kindness, led by Kate Fox. I did
:29:56. > :30:00.think we had to start with the re-enactment of Veronica wiping
:30:01. > :30:06.Jesus' face. Three of them wanted to be a Roman
:30:07. > :30:16.soldier. A boy wanted to be Veronica.
:30:17. > :30:25.Being kind is like... Respecting others. Sharing your cake. If
:30:26. > :30:32.kindness was something in South Shields... Ocean Road because it is
:30:33. > :30:37.multi-cultural. The different types of food you can try.
:30:38. > :30:41.They have got a boat. It is from a while ago and it has been
:30:42. > :30:47.refurbished. Do you think we would be up for performing the poem?
:30:48. > :30:53.ALL: Yes. We got together and got our energy going. What are we doing?
:30:54. > :30:56.Great North Run. It feels like something is emerging. It is
:30:57. > :31:06.something they actually want to talk about! Can your hands do anything
:31:07. > :31:12.kind? To the sea and the seagulls. I think I'm kind of kind, but like
:31:13. > :31:17.most of us, I'm somewhere in between the saintly giving of Mother Teresa
:31:18. > :31:23.and the bumbling awkwardness of Mr Bean. Your haircut makes me cringe.
:31:24. > :31:27.Your phone is so old! Hashtag Kindness of Strangers. See Twitter
:31:28. > :31:33.and Galilee or head to Ocean Road, South Shields for a day out by the
:31:34. > :31:37.sea! Fish and chips and curry, Indian, Chinese and Thai, anything
:31:38. > :31:46.you want to eat is here for you to buy. Icecreams! Made by Minchellas
:31:47. > :31:49.all the way from Italy. People came from all over the world to live here
:31:50. > :31:59.and mostly, they get on. Thirteen flavours of us. The first lifeboat
:32:00. > :32:02.ever designed was launched. Here saved a thousand from the Tyne saved
:32:03. > :32:06.in turn by volunteers, who wiped away the years until it was bright
:32:07. > :32:10.blue and white as the prom on a sunny day. The seagulls pinch your
:32:11. > :32:14.pasty, nick your chips, sit on your head, a clucking army pecking bits
:32:15. > :32:17.of bread. Haway! The fair. Dodgems, waltzers, a slide, a
:32:18. > :32:22.rollercoaster, the party bus, Life is a journey so come with us, all
:32:23. > :32:26.the way from the Tyne Bridge. The Great North Run! Drummers thump
:32:27. > :32:30.heartbeats in time with the runners, photos of loved ones on their backs.
:32:31. > :32:35.I had no breath, I was puce, my knees were weak, my lungs no use,
:32:36. > :32:41.but the crowd gave me. Water! Jelly babies! The will to carry on! Give
:32:42. > :32:45.someone a lift when they've broken down. But what if they're a
:32:46. > :32:49.psychopath? Give someone a bunch of flowers. But what if they just
:32:50. > :32:54.laugh? Help an old person up when they've fallen Over. But what if
:32:55. > :32:58.you're not medically trained? Burly blokes on boats is just one kind of
:32:59. > :33:05.brave. But stick your neck out for others. It's your own life you will
:33:06. > :33:12.save. Your hair is lush. Let's give your car a push. You don't even need
:33:13. > :33:16.make-up. Do you want a hand with that shopping? You smell of
:33:17. > :33:20.strawberries. We will be your lifeboat and come to your rescue. We
:33:21. > :33:25.will bring it back to you. So you can't forget. Treat others the way
:33:26. > :33:42.you want to be tret. Treat others the way you want to be tret.
:33:43. > :33:46.APPLAUSE Inned Good Friday story, that moment
:33:47. > :33:51.of kindness shown by Veronica is only fleeting. Jesus succumbs to the
:33:52. > :33:56.weight of the cross and falls yet again. It shows his human frailty
:33:57. > :33:59.and the fragility of our lives. How anyone in difficult times can can
:34:00. > :34:10.become fallen and forgotten and loose self esteem.
:34:11. > :34:13.In Sunderland the local community came together to give a voice to
:34:14. > :34:22.those who are coming to terms with these lowest of moments in their
:34:23. > :34:28.lives. I think the opportunity has been for
:34:29. > :34:39.people to express their own emotions, their own feelings. And to
:34:40. > :34:43.be heard as well. Saint Andrew's connection with
:34:44. > :34:52.Centre scapt point the UK's leading charity for homeless young people,
:34:53. > :34:59.brought this young man to the Great Passion Project. The most difficult
:35:00. > :35:05.time in my life was losing my mum. I felt depressed. I just felt like I
:35:06. > :35:16.just want to go and I tried to kill myself. I don't feel like living, I
:35:17. > :35:23.just want to go. Opera singer Graeme Danby and
:35:24. > :35:26.composer, Will Todd are leading the St Andrew's project, they meet him
:35:27. > :35:31.and begin to write and compose together a hymn about the fallen,
:35:32. > :35:38.the theme of the seventh station of the cross.
:35:39. > :35:43.Sometimes you might have no money, nothing, no friends to talk to.
:35:44. > :35:51.Nobody to visit. Trust me, that moment you feel like this road
:35:52. > :35:56.doesn't belong to you. Let's get to the nitty-gritty. We can maybe help
:35:57. > :36:03.a little bit where we can put some of your ideas on to paper. Is that a
:36:04. > :36:07.deal? That's a deal. The congregation are introduced to the
:36:08. > :36:13.project and their voices begin to feed into the mix. If we don't have
:36:14. > :36:19.Good Friday, we have no hope at all, would you would never have Easter
:36:20. > :36:25.Sunday. I had an awful childhood, but my whole life changed because I
:36:26. > :36:29.was loved. Perhaps you have to hit rock bottom to move back up and that
:36:30. > :36:35.doesn't necessarily mean it is a failure. At their final session, the
:36:36. > :36:39.whole group gather together to put the finishing touches to the piece.
:36:40. > :36:48.The trust that you give. Can you give us a tune for As A Child?
:36:49. > :36:53.Perfect. It has been a wonderful experience. It has reinforced my
:36:54. > :36:59.thought behind the fallen. We can't just have this element of bleakness,
:37:00. > :37:19.of hopelessness, there has got to be an element of redemption.
:37:20. > :37:27.Frail and alone I drown in sorrow # Will the tears of an outcast ever
:37:28. > :37:39.be wiped away? # Can this madness never change?
:37:40. > :37:47.# I am friendless and I am changed. High pressure High pressure so alone
:37:48. > :38:20.the broken soul you tread upon. ??LINEBRE # I am searching for love.
:38:21. > :38:33.# # I am searching for hope. # The hope that I lost.
:38:34. > :38:52.# The hope that I felt at the start. # To make my life begin then.
:38:53. > :39:17.# I am searching for hope. # And I am searching, I'm searching for that
:39:18. > :39:24.love. # The love that I knew
:39:25. > :39:34.# # I am searching, I am saerching for
:39:35. > :39:44.that love. # I'm searching for that love.
:39:45. > :39:59.# To take away the darkness from my heart.
:40:00. > :40:11.# # To take away the darkness. # To take away the darkness from my
:40:12. > :40:22.heart. #
:40:23. > :40:37.APPLAUSE The wonderful Graeme Danby. Jesus
:40:38. > :40:42.manages to get up again and he approaches Calvery and the Women of
:40:43. > :40:47.Jerusalem are found weeping for him. Jesus says, "Don't weep for meWeep
:40:48. > :40:55.for your children." In shared compassion is a central focus of
:40:56. > :40:58.Christian faith. In Middlesborough, the city's
:40:59. > :41:05.community of Women of African Origin have been celebrating what this idea
:41:06. > :41:11.means to them. You have got some of them singers.
:41:12. > :41:16.This man leads the group in composing a song based on their
:41:17. > :41:21.experiences of kindness to strangers, both here and in Africa.
:41:22. > :41:27.In Africa, it is about sharing and giving. Where I'm from, we never
:41:28. > :41:30.called anybody a stranger. If ever two people would come and y hadn't
:41:31. > :41:36.cooked enough, they should take your plate. We used to prepare a special
:41:37. > :41:41.room to accept anybody who came in the night, who doesn't have a place
:41:42. > :41:46.to sleep, so he can come to our house. Once somebody knocks on your
:41:47. > :41:55.door, we are so welcoming, that's us Africans.
:41:56. > :42:26.Let's start again. We need to really understand what kwako means?
:42:27. > :42:42.# When a stranger comes knocking, knocking.
:42:43. > :42:47.# Knocks at your door. # Seeking for help.
:42:48. > :42:53.# In the moonless night. # As we do in Africa.
:42:54. > :43:17.# We will offer shelter drink and food.
:43:18. > :43:26.# What would you do when someone knocks seeking your help?
:43:27. > :43:41.# Would you be kind to open your door?
:43:42. > :43:49.# Can you be sure what to kwako? # Can you be sure what to kwako,
:43:50. > :43:58.kwako? # Let's not take this life for
:43:59. > :44:08.granted. # Let's not take this life for
:44:09. > :44:22.granted. # Let's not take, let's not take
:44:23. > :44:33.this life for granted. # APPLAUSE
:44:34. > :44:41.Despite falling a third time, Jesus does reach the hill where he will be
:44:42. > :44:51.crucified and here, he is stripped of his clothes, made naked and
:44:52. > :44:55.vulnerable. Vulnerability comes in many forms and families have become
:44:56. > :45:02.more vulnerable to the changing face of industry.
:45:03. > :45:04.What is the 30th anniversary of the Miner's Strike, the communities in
:45:05. > :45:14.the North East had to contend with the demise of their pits.
:45:15. > :45:20.Before they are very little to live on.
:45:21. > :45:25.This is a the story of Ashington. This was the biggest pit village in
:45:26. > :45:30.the world. It is not here anymore. But it is in the Guinness Book of
:45:31. > :45:35.Records! Yeah. Until 30 years ago, it was known as a mining town. Now,
:45:36. > :45:40.that is history. This community once felt humiliated and stripped of its
:45:41. > :45:43.being. It strips your dignity away,
:45:44. > :45:49.completely. I have been a wage-earner, then to
:45:50. > :46:00.bog on the dole... Your dignity takes a smack. But a lot of them
:46:01. > :46:05.made work, it was the be all and the enall. When the pits closed, they
:46:06. > :46:09.had nothing else to do. Some of them lost the will to live. It tears you
:46:10. > :46:16.apart. The story of Ashington stands as
:46:17. > :46:25.item to those who faced what seemed the end of their world. The artist,
:46:26. > :46:29.Patrick Murphy, wants to know what Ashington is doing now. He carved a
:46:30. > :46:33.table and asked the community to carve, chip, paint and imprint their
:46:34. > :46:37.story. The key message within the
:46:38. > :46:45.installation is bruised but not broken. It refers to the community
:46:46. > :46:51.but it also refers to Christ' journey, that there are things that
:46:52. > :46:53.we have to go through and having faith or Christianity, strengthens
:46:54. > :46:57.you. They have brought back the old
:46:58. > :47:01.tradition of clog dancing, to show that they will not forget what they
:47:02. > :47:04.have come through. He we stand together... Here we
:47:05. > :47:19.stand together... This clog dancing reflects the shoes
:47:20. > :47:23.that the miners originally wore in the pits. The placards are carrying
:47:24. > :47:35.the messages of hope from today's community.
:47:36. > :47:49.Still here. Always together, always strong. Always together, always
:47:50. > :48:10.strong. Still here! Still strong! Still here! Still strong! Always
:48:11. > :48:22.strong. Always strong! Always strong! Station Eleven. Here, Jesus
:48:23. > :48:26.is now placed on the Cross and nailed to it. For Christians the
:48:27. > :48:29.words Jesus utters have become one of the most powerful and central
:48:30. > :48:33.tenants of their faith. Forgive them Father, for they know not what they
:48:34. > :48:39.do. The message of Forgiveness. And the hope of new beginnings. In the
:48:40. > :48:43.railway arches in the shadow of Sage Gateshead, this theme has been the
:48:44. > :48:46.focus for both artists and the local community, including Reverend Jim
:48:47. > :48:56.Craig, the only full time arts chaplain in the country. I love the
:48:57. > :49:00.idea of art popping up somewhere that is not an exclusive gallery
:49:01. > :49:05.space but somewhere that people can appreciate it on the streets. If
:49:06. > :49:14.seemed obvious to contact the lads it is right up their street.
:49:15. > :49:19.The Station of the Cross, that we have been given for the project is
:49:20. > :49:23.the crucifixion. And the theme we are exploring is the theme of
:49:24. > :49:29.forgiveness. Sandy is running a project using
:49:30. > :49:33.music and art to develop confidence and encourage ways of learning.
:49:34. > :49:37.We have been fortunate with the theme, in as much it resonates with
:49:38. > :49:41.the young people in terms of their lives and how they are ah moving
:49:42. > :49:45.forward it has been a good one to get our teeth into, really. If you
:49:46. > :49:51.don't forgive, there will be always hate. If someone does you wrong if
:49:52. > :49:54.you don't see past the wrong they have done you, that is what hate
:49:55. > :49:59.develops. For Frank, one of the art support
:50:00. > :50:03.workers, the theme has a particular resonance.
:50:04. > :50:08.The idea of forgiveness being part of the graffiti journey, often the
:50:09. > :50:11.route into spray-painting is one that involves being outside of the
:50:12. > :50:17.law. Part of the forgiveness of what I
:50:18. > :50:21.have done wrong, vandalising and upsetting people's lives, I am now
:50:22. > :50:26.making amends by helping people. There have been stories, where the
:50:27. > :50:31.kids I am working with have started to paint graffiti letters which has
:50:32. > :50:34.led to other types of art and gone to college and gained something
:50:35. > :50:45.positive from the whole experience. It does work.
:50:46. > :50:51.Finally, at the Twelfh Station, Jesus is raised on the cross and
:50:52. > :51:06.there he dies. He oleateers the words, Father, into your hands I
:51:07. > :51:12.commit my spirit. It raises a theme which none of us can avoid: the end
:51:13. > :51:15.of life. At Souter Lighthouse, an iconic reminder of the North East's
:51:16. > :51:19.connection to the wider world but also of a very particular loss, the
:51:20. > :51:22.sea-front community in South Shields came together to explore the twelfth
:51:23. > :51:25.Station of the Cross. Going back to my childhood, one of the places we
:51:26. > :51:30.used to visit was Marsden village. It was a community of happy, vibrant
:51:31. > :51:39.people. That has all gone. The death of Marsden village had a
:51:40. > :51:43.lasting effect on Derek and Brian. The homes here were Demme oilished
:51:44. > :51:49.in the '60s. I cam up, people would shout to me,
:51:50. > :51:53.morning but now there was silence. Deathly silence. That is when I
:51:54. > :51:59.realised that was the final end. It was all gone.
:52:00. > :52:03.Visual artist, Joseph Hillier, leads the men and younger members of the
:52:04. > :52:07.community on a tour of local art galleries, to explore depictions of
:52:08. > :52:11.death. If there was anything else but a
:52:12. > :52:15.cross, it would be ordinary people getting on with their lives. That is
:52:16. > :52:20.what happens after a loss, you get on with it. The loss hits you later
:52:21. > :52:25.on. For Ray Wilson, the theme of death
:52:26. > :52:31.brought back memories of his father. I was persuaded to see my father
:52:32. > :52:40.after he had died. I would have much sooner not have had to.
:52:41. > :52:48.The image does stay with you. Back at Souter, the group reenact
:52:49. > :52:52.some of the paintings. And Joseph captures their poses to create a 3-D
:52:53. > :53:06.model of the pieces he is to produce.
:53:07. > :53:12.As we reflect on life's journey, full of rich experiences and
:53:13. > :53:20.difficulties, we are full of hope. We're joined by Bella Hardy, for a
:53:21. > :53:35.much-loved communal song, Abide With Me.
:53:36. > :53:40.# Abide with me, fast falls the even tied.
:53:41. > :53:45.# The darkness deepens, Lord with me abide.
:53:46. > :53:51.# When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
:53:52. > :54:23.# Help of the helpless, abide with me.
:54:24. > :54:37.# # I feel no foe with thee returned
:54:38. > :54:45.to bless # Ills have no weight, and tears no
:54:46. > :54:57.bitterness. # Where is death's sting?
:54:58. > :55:24.# Where, grave, thy victory? # I triumph still,
:55:25. > :55:31.# If thou abide with me. Hold thou thy cross, before my closing eyes,
:55:32. > :55:39.# Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
:55:40. > :55:57.# Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee.
:55:58. > :56:21.# In life, in death, Lord, abide with me.
:56:22. > :56:24.APPLAUSE. The people of the North East,
:56:25. > :56:27.through their commitment, creativity and honesty in sharing their stories
:56:28. > :56:31.and experiences, have come together today to show how the story of Good
:56:32. > :56:37.Friday, while 2,000 years old, has a lasting relevance to all our lives
:56:38. > :56:43.today. For Christians world-wide, the death of Jesus lays the
:56:44. > :56:47.foundation of their faith. It's seen as a selfless act of self-sacrifice
:56:48. > :56:51.with a purpose: to free all people from their sins and weaknesses,
:56:52. > :56:57.making possible a new start. Captured in the powerful symbol of
:56:58. > :57:00.the Good Friday Story, The Cross. It recognises the Christian belief that
:57:01. > :57:05.God through Jesus gave everything out of love for humankind. And in
:57:06. > :57:09.recognizing that, there is a form of triumph even in the darkest moments
:57:10. > :57:15.of death. It's the reason why today is called Good Friday. And for
:57:16. > :57:18.Christians, that triumph is fully realised on Easter Sunday when the
:57:19. > :57:39.story of the Resurrection gives a cause for celebration.
:57:40. > :57:44.# Your love keeps lifting me higher, # Than I've ever been lifted before.
:57:45. > :57:53.# So keep it up, # Quench my desire.
:57:54. > :58:01.# I'll be at your side forever more. # Once I was down hearted.
:58:02. > :58:06.# Disappointment me was closest friend.
:58:07. > :58:13.# Then you came and it soon departed.
:58:14. > :58:18.# And you knew it never would show its face again.
:58:19. > :58:24.# That's why your love, # Is lifting me higher.
:58:25. > :58:54.# Lifting me higher and higher. # Your love, keeps lifting me higher
:58:55. > :58:58.# Lifting me higher and higher. I said your love keeps lifting me
:58:59. > :59:07.higher. # Than I've ever been lifted before.
:59:08. > :59:14.# I said your love keeps lifting me higher.
:59:15. > :59:23.# Than I've ever been lifted before. # I'm so glad, I finally found you.
:59:24. > :59:28.# Yes, that one in a million girls. # And I wish my loving arms around
:59:29. > :59:34.you, # Honey, I can stand up and face the
:59:35. > :59:41.world. # I said your love keeps lifting me
:59:42. > :59:50.high higher, # Oh, lifting me, higher and higher.
:59:51. > :00:01.# Your love keeps lifting me higher, # Lifting me higher and higher.
:00:02. > :00:16.# Your love keeps lifting me higher. # Lifting me higher, and higher.
:00:17. > :00:21.# You love keeps lifting me higher. # Lifting me higher and high higher.