HELP PURCHASE NNRG HQ

NNRG talking to Jim Scott on BBC Look North - 25.03.24

The home of the Northern National Restoration Group (NNRG) is the former Philadelphia Power Station. The power station is a defunct coal-fired power station situated between the villages of Philadelphia and Newbottle, north of Houghton-le-Spring in Tyne and Wear, North East England.

The power station was built by the Sunderland District Electric Tramways Ltd and the Durham Collieries Power Company to provide electricity for the local district tramway and collieries it was planned for the station to open in May 1905, but its opening was delayed slightly, also delaying the electrification of the tramway it didn't begin providing electricity for the tramway until 10 June 1905. The station was provided with coal from the nearby Dorothea Pit and by 1911, the station was part of the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company's system.

After closing, the station was used as a central garage by the National Coal Board. The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalized coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "vesting day", 1 January 1947. In 1987, the NCB was renamed the British Coal Corporation, and its assets were subsequently privatized.

After closing in 2014 the hall stood derelict for around five years, allowing the building to deteriorate, in November 2019 the NNRG moved into the hall where they house their fleet. The station's generating hall still stands today, along with two smaller associated buildings which are all Grade II listed. The generating hall is a single-gabled yellow brick-built building with red brick dressings and felt roofing and is currently one of a number of workshops on the Philadelphia Complex.

The Northern National Restoration Group are a committed band of bus preservationists who are keen on championing the communities needs through the restoration and preservation of ex Go Northern and Go North East Buses.

Our depot dates back to the days of trams in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear as the power station for the tram network and after various forms and uses its now our wonderful home.

We moved into our now home in 2019, and ever since have aimed to purchase our future home. The opportunity has now arisen and we need our local community's help.

We don't want to just be a local transport group, we don't want to just run buses back and forth, we want to help support and get involved with the local community. We want to give those the opportunity to develop there skills, develop them selves and push to the max. We want to work with local community groups and residents, from care homes to the local pizza shop to bring a huge push of community spirit the the local area.

On Sunday 24th March 2024 we welcomed local news presenter Jim Scott to the home of the NNRG, where he spent a few hours with group, members, friends and trustees finding out what goes on behind the scenes, where the group needs to go and how we want to achieve it.

Alex Willis, Group Secretary for the Northern National Restoration Group said; The North East transport scene is huge, if we look at two of the biggest bus groups operating across the UK you would probably look at Go Ahead, and Arriva, both born and developed from Newcastle and Sunderland areas. 

The history that our depot stands is huge, from the former tram sheds to the Colleries which once served our local villages we are stood here on some of the most historical areas, with a tremendous history! As a charity we want to push the local areas transport heritage, we want to get local people involves, we want to inspire and develop skills, we want to do so much. 

That is why today we announce our 2024 fundraising campaign to purchase and restore our beautiful grade II listed building. We have so much potential with the local community and we have to future proof our heritage for generations to come. We have so many dreams, ambitions and success stories, but we want to push on and create a community hub for our local community.

Unfortunately we are seeing a huge increase in land agents and land been taken off local bus preservation groups, whether that is charities, societies or independent people in the hobby. We need to future proof our heritage and history and this is why today we launch our campaign to purchase the former Generator shed at Philadelphia. 

If you can, please donate to our appeal so we can purchase a home to continue a really integral part of North East History both the buses and the buildings. Every penny counts so as little or as much as you can give. It all goes a really long way!

Please have look around our website and Social Media Pages to see what we get up too in more depth.

Thanks

NNRG Team