Teesdale in 2154, Teesdale Mercury

Teesdale in 2154

Oct 28, 2004

What will Teesdale be like 150 years from now? Sophie Doughty spoke to experts to find out how they think life will have changed in the 22nd century.

BIRTHDAYS and anniversaries inevitably become a time for reflection and nostalgia, but they are also the time to look to the future. So as the Teesdale Mercury celebrates its 150th birthday it's hard not to wonder whether the paper will still be around in another century and a half, and what big stories will grip the Mercury readers of 2154.

We asked several local experts what changes they thought we would see in the Dale over the coming years. And judging by their responses the Teesdale of the future will be a fascinating place to live, and perhaps a little warmertoo.

Professor Fred Robinson from Durham University is a leading authority on regional economic development, and has studied urban regeneration and unemployment and poverty in the North East. He said: "I think it's safe to say that over the next 150 years there will be enormous economic, social, and technological changes and upheavals, and it's pretty much impossible to forecast what they will be.

"I have to predict that the Mercury will still be going strong, but maybe will be beamed direct into people's minds, (perhaps while they are asleep?) rather than being printed on paper. I imagine it will still have interesting stories about sheep, local heroes and villains. I also hope that my other necessary prediction, that Teesdale remains beautiful and rural, will prove to be right.

Teesdale 2154"In the less distant future, over the next few decades I would imagine we will see further substantial changes in how people in Teesdale live and make a living. Even fewer people will stay with the same partner for a lifetime and the birth rate will continue to fall. I doubt if we will sustain current obsessions with working harder and harder to have more and more material things.

"Many more people will, I think realise how pointless consumerism is, and it wouldn't surprise me if Teesdale becomes home to lots of people seeking a simpler and more spiritual life.

"People are living longer and that will have a profound impact on all aspects of life in the dale. The Editor of the Teesdale Mercury in 2154 will be celebrating her 150th birthday as well as the Mercury's tercentenary.

"She will be enjoying her vegan birthday meal with her great, great, great grandchildren. And a group of ancient Teesdale hippies who are in her advanced herbalism class at the University of Barnard Castle.

"In 150 years time many decades of climate change will have caused big changes in the rural economy. Teesdale's vineyards are renowned, but from time to time are decimated by severe droughts or by storms. Plagues of locusts remain a big problem and, despite optimistic predictions made during the 21st century, mutant infectious diseases are still proving difficult to control.

"I think that whatever happens we can be sure that there will be good times and awful times ahead. And our descendents will look back nostalgically to the past, that golden age of the 21st century.

Environment and climate expert Professor Tim Burt however paints a slightly rosier Mediterranean picture of the Teesdale of the future. He predicts: "On the basis of what's happened in the last 40 years, Teesdale should be nearly four degrees warmer by 2154. That would mean great changes to local rivers, whatever changes there are to rainfall. Climate change models suggest drier summers and wetter winters anyway, so this would mean great stress on plants, wetlands, and peat bogs with some very low river flows in summer, and drought being much more common. Cow Green might finally earn its keep!

"I suppose there would be some benefits though. Teesdale would be more like Brittany, which doesn't sound too bad. So Redcar becomes Torquay, or perhaps St Malo.And maybe then Middlesbrough will play like Barcelona."

Closer to home the chief executive of Teesdale District Council Charles Anderson also had some interesting predictions on what the next 150 years might hold for the dale, although he hopes much of the area will remain the same.

"So, what do I hope Teesdale will look like 150 years from now? In some ways not so very different from how it does now as far as the scenery is concerned. "I hope that the attractions that currently bring people into the area in droves continue to work their magic, although how people will travel is more difficult to forecast. A recent news broadcast speculated that a flying car is not far off development. Will this be the answer to congestion for the future?

"However we heat and light our homes, offices and factories, I am sure the emphasis will be more and more on renewable energy, whether it be wind power, wave power or some other fuel which does not compromise the interests of our grandchildren. This process has already started and no doubt will continue.

"But I would like the dale to be a living, working, breathing place, not just an area for people to visit. I would hope that we can do even more to find a way to keep young people in the dale, rather than export them to other areas, only to bring them back at retirement age.

"My hope would be that we conserve all the best parts of Teesdale, but ensure that it remains at the forefront of technology and is a lively vibrant place, as well as a beautiful one. "Oh and I hope there will still be a local council which people will identify with and which will reflect their needs and aspirations. Although I doubt I will be around to see it."

But what about the Teesdale Mercury? Will our newspaper still be around in 150 years to record all these events? With the arrival of the Internet revolution at the end of the last century, the newspaper industry began to panic that this could be the beginning of the end for the printed word. After all how could pieces of paper printed either daily or weekly ever compete with online news, which can be accessed immediately and updated constantly?

However, over recent years these fears appear to have subsided. The sight of the post offices and newsagents of Teesdale filled with eager readers every Tuesday afternoon waiting to get their hands on the latest paper is still a weekly occurrence. Proof that the great tradition of the British Press is not dead yet.