The Greater Morpeth Development Trust is a community-led organisation established to facilitate the development and delivery of community based projects through partnership working. We have continued to develop through our young, enthusiastic and knowledgeable team and unwavering support from the Board. We are passionate about the work we do and take pride in what has been achieved to date and we are extremely excited by the future opportunities.
The Heritage Group within GMDT works to identify, develop and deliver heritage projects and activity; and to promote local heritage in Morpeth and its surrounding areas. An important role is facilitating the town-wide Morpeth Heritage Network.
All our projects aim to improve the Morpeth area for the community and visitors to the town, and to increase visitor numbers by promoting history and heritage to facilitate and enhance the area’s tourism offer. GMDT actively supports the Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering (weekend after Easter) which is a mainstay of the town’s events calendar, and coordinates the annual Heritage Open Days (September) programme. We have also over seven years helped local author Bridget Gubbins to publish a Morpeth Heritage Book Series.
We also identify projects to be developed that relate to protecting and promoting local heritage and history. Over the years, the group has been involved with many projects across Morpeth, including the restoration of such varied sites as: Morpeth Town Hall; Emily Wilding Davison’s grave; High Stanners sewer gas lamp. Other successful activities include the Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood bust appeal, providing interpretation panels signage located at various heritage sites throughout Morpeth, and creating a Heritage Walking Trail leaflet.