Lloyd Bingham (Alnwick)

I’m another non-native Northeasterner but the region has been my home for seven years. I studied French, German, Spanish, Dutch and Catalan at Newcastle and moved straight into an in-house translation position in Northumberland for three years afterwards. I’ve spent the years exploring the North East on my bike, following the Tyne westwards to Hexham or eastwards to Tynemouth, and along the North Sea coast southwards to Sunderland and the River Wear to Durham.

I’m an Associate of ITI currently applying for full membership. I love meeting up with colleagues from the North East, but you can also find me at certain ITI events and TweetUps across the country. Although I’ll be relocating to Cardiff from July 2014, the North East will still occupy a very special place in my heart and I look forward to telling you about the magic of Newcastle at the conference.

What I like about Newcastle…

Its neoclassical architecture. With no fewer than 244 listed buildings, Grainger Town is absolutely gorgeous and contains the city’s finest structures such as the Theatre Royal and Grey’s Monument, where Earl Grey stands 40m high, watching over Newcastle. Cobbled streets that are reminiscent of medieval times lead down the steep slope towards the Quayside, where the dramatic Tyne Bridge towers above the pedestrians. It’s very much a city of bridges. The newest addition, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, is spectacular when lit up at night.

I love zipping around town or out to Whitley Bay on the Metro too. Having been an industrial centre, many of the former railways have been electrified and made part of the city’s efficient light rail network, which larger UK cities could only dream of.

My three favourite places:

Jesmond Dene is hands down my favourite. A narrow yet dense area of woodland with footpaths running along a small stream that begins no more than a mile from the city centre. It’s the most tranquil place in the city, perfect for a jog or walk on a Sunday morning. I also like Newcastle City Library. It’s a modern steel and glass building, only about five years old. There aren’t many tall buildings in Newcastle, but at six storeys high, it’s tall enough to offer a reasonable view to the south over the city’s rooftops and towards the Tyne. Lastly, there’s my favourite pub, The Cluny. It’s an area called Ouseburn, about a 20 minute walk east of the city centre. Its range of English bitters and canal-side location make for a great summer evening there. Plus, it does my favourite German beer, Erdinger Weiß, on draught.

My favourite Geordie word…

Not a word but a phrase…shy bairns get noot! It simply means you won’t get what you want if you don’t ask, but I love it because it epitomises the confidence of Geordie personality.