The Old Oak

Sat Jan 17 2026 at 07:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Cafe Etch - Middlesbrough | Middlesbrough

Teesside Radical Bookfair
Publisher/HostTeesside Radical Bookfair
The Old Oak
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a Teesside Radical Bookfair Fundraiser
The future for the last remaining pub, The Old Oak, in a village of Northeast England, where people are leaving the land as the mines are closed. Houses are cheap and available, thus making it an ideal location for Syrian refugees.
The Old Oak is a special place. Not only is it the last pub standing, but it's also the only remaining public space where people can meet in a once thriving mining community that has now fallen on hard times after 30 years of decline. TJ Ballantyne, the landlord, hangs on to The Old Oak by his fingertips, and his predicament is endangered even more when the pub becomes contested territory after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed in the village without any notice. In an unlikely friendship TJ meets a curious young Syrian woman named Yara, who is always carrying a camera. Can they find a way for the two communities to understand each other? So unfolds a deeply moving drama about their fragilities and hopes.
Followed by a Q&A session with trade unionist Dave Turner who plays TJ.
DJs till late
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Event Venue

Cafe Etch - Middlesbrough, 5 Gilkes Street,Middlesbrough, United Kingdom

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