Simmie Harper
I Love North Shields founder
When Simmie, the Dutch designer behind I Love North Shields (ILNS) magazine, moved to the North East, she spotted an opportunity to create a hyper-local, independent magazine focused on community stories and creating connections. Recently celebrating its 2-year anniversary, I Love North Shields has thousands of readers, 17,000 followers on Instagram and a growing team of volunteers shining a light on the town as it bids to be Town of Culture 2028.
Interview by Sarah Hunt
Photographs by Christopher Owens
Made By The People,
For The People
“I didn’t know anyone in North Shields. Now I know loads of people….I’m always saying hello. We all know each other,” Simmie says, and that’s very much in evidence as we walk from North Shields town centre to the Fish Quay and she stops to wave or say hi to people she knows all the way.
Before moving to the area, Simmie lived in The Hague, the administrative capital of the Netherlands and home to many international expats. There, she met her husband Peter, originally from Whitley Bay. But that wasn’t her first experience of the North East. Her dad is from Stockton-on-Tees and she’s been visiting family in the region for decades.
As someone with connections to both the Dutch and English-speaking communities living in The Hague, she was keen to find ways to bring people together. It was a trip to Florence that unexpectedly planted the seed for a project that would do just that. While visiting a cafe, she spotted a copy of The Florentine, an English-language magazine, covering local news, art events and community news.
“I thought, ‘I love this’….it felt like an insight into local life," she explains.
“It’s important to know your community. It’s OK saying ‘our community’, but who are they?”
Simmie took the idea back home, and with the help of the team at her graphic design studio, The Underground was born. The magazine grew quickly and they were soon producing over 5000 copies every month and coordinating hundreds of volunteer contributors.
She ran the magazine for two years before spending a decade in France renovating old farms and a year travelling around Spain in a camper van. Then Simmie and her husband made the move to North Shields to be closer to family. New to the area, she was keen to find out about what was going on in the music and arts scenes.
She soon spotted an opportunity to highlight stories that aren’t picked up in the media and reach people who don’t regularly go online. Here, she drew from personal experience. Her husband, Peter, doesn't use social media, so he didn’t hear about everything going on in the town. “He sees North Shields differently from how I see it. It’s two different worlds,” she explains.
Getting started required a can-do attitude and a lot of getting stuck in. “I said, ‘OK, let’s start’…and the next month we just produced it.”
Since the launch in May 2024, the dedicated team of volunteer writers and organisers has produced 17 issues (available in print and online) that have reached thousands of readers and amassed 16,000 followers on Facebook and 17,000 on Instagram. “It’s been amazing,” says Simmie.
The magazine covers events, arts, culture, history, heritage and people with the aim of amplifying local experiences, businesses and creatives and positioning North Shields as a place of pride and possibility. Simmie describes it as “an archive of cultural life,” documenting the town through the people who live there.
What began as a simple idea has spawned photography walks, litter picks and a vintage market at the Salt Market Social. She also mentions the ILNS podcast, which launched earlier this month. You’ll now see sponsored ILNS tote bags in shops around the town, including limited-edition designs created by North East artists, which raise vital funds for the day-to-day running of the magazine.
“Shop local. Get your veg from Barry’s. Get your fish from the Fish Quay. It sounds so simple but everyone will thrive… If you get to know your own community, you start helping each other much more.”
Despite this growth, it remains a community-led platform that documents everyday life beyond the headlines. “It’s important to know your community. It’s OK saying ‘our community’, but who are they?” Connecting the dots and bringing groups together has always been at the heart of the publication. “And the same thing is true for our volunteers. They are people from all walks of life who otherwise would have never met.”
“People want to feel like they belong somewhere,” she says and she’s passionate about how the small things can make a big difference. “Shop local. Get your veg from Barry’s. Get your fish from the Fish Quay. It sounds so simple but everyone will thrive….If you get to know your own community, you start helping each other much more. So I definitely think it’s the way forward.”
And this positivity is key to the I Love North Shields message. It’s a world away from negative news cycles and endless doomscrolling. How would she summarise what’s important? “Highlighting all the good stuff.”
As she looks back, I ask what she’s most proud of. “Our group,” she replies without hesitation. “It’s not me…I coordinate. I don’t even write. They do everything.”
ILNS exists because of its core team of volunteers who give up their free time, balancing writing, organising, researching, and documenting events with work, families, and everyday commitments. Anyone can join the team or submit an idea for a story. And they contribute in a variety of different ways. Some attend regular meetings and events while others do everything remotely, sending in stories via email. The high standard of work is a testament to their passion and dedication to the project and to the area. “It’s a labour of love,” Simmie explains. “I think, God, you’ve got this amazing group of people endorsing our area, who are putting in their free time to create a better community.”
Volunteering creates opportunities for the ILNS photographers, designers and writers – many of whom had never written before joining the team – helping them build up their portfolios and opening doors that would otherwise be closed. But, as the magazine continues to grow, Simmie is keen to find ways to pay the team for their time and hard work. “It’s important that they get recognised for the work they do”. Being able to cover expenses is key to unlocking the next steps, she explains.
Funding remains one of the most pressing ongoing challenges. The current model relies on sponsorships, partnerships and reader backing rather than advertising. It’s community support for community storytelling, which allows them to maintain their independent voice. “We’ve come so far with so little,” she says. Unlocking more money would allow the team to do even more.
But, applying for funds is hugely time-consuming for a volunteer team. “That’s a whole job in itself”. And operating in the North East presents unique challenges. “It’s not like The Hague…it’s a whole different ball game.” While securing local advertisers, like theatres, in an international city was relatively straightforward, that’s different in North Shields. In a region where arts funding has historically been harder to come by, it’s a familiar and unsurprising challenge.
“I think, God, you’ve got this amazing group of people endorsing our area, who are putting in their free time to create a better community.”
As the team looks ahead, the town’s recent bid to become Town of Culture 2028 is providing a focus for activities. The scheme will unlock £3 million for the winning town and £250,000 for two finalist towns. The I Love North Shields team forms part of the steering group and is documenting the bid ahead of the announcement of the winner in early 2027.
There’s no denying the sense of energy surrounding North Shields. “There’s so much change now,” she says of the town. Community-led initiatives include Project Nile Street, which has renovated shop fronts and residential doorways. And the recent cultural calendar has centred around the town’s 800th anniversary (“North Shields 800”) with a host of events and initiatives including pop-up galleries, a series of murals and a celebratory parade.
Much of this has come from local people. “There’s so many interesting people here, so many people with talent,” says Simmie. “ILNS helps to give them the chance to get their message out. Making them feel involved is key.” And the source of that momentum matters to her. “It’s not coming from the top down, it’s coming from the people…It’s made by the people for the people.”
So, does Simmie think the ILNS model could work anywhere? “Yes, anywhere there’s a community.”
She ponders the idea of a magazine in every town. “How cool is that?”
Learn More
Visit the ILNS Vintage Market at Salt Market Social on the 26th July.
You can read all I Love North Shields back issues for free online or pick up a printed copy from Barry’s Fruit and Veg or The Waterfront in North Shields.
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