Charity seeks more blue plaque nominations

The deadline for nominations is 28 July

A national project to honour notable people with a blue plaque is struggling to get applications from the North East.

The programme, run by Historic England, builds on English Heritage's famed plaques in London and various other commemorative signs seen across the UK.

Historic England's participation and learning director Ellen Harrison said there have been fewer nominations from the North East and Yorkshire than from other regions.

The deadline to nominate potential recipients is 28 July.

"We're really keen that all of the country is represented," Ms Harrison said, adding that anyone can nominate a recipient.

"You don't need to have lots of historical evidence and records.

"All you need to do is let us know why this person deserves a plaque and where the address is that you think the plaque should go on to."

Data from the open source website OpenPlaques reveal disparities in the number of existing signs across parts of the North East.

For example, Newcastle has almost 200 plaques, according to the site, but Sunderland and Middlesbrough have just 89 and 37 respectively.

These include one for the architect John Dobson, who designed Newcastle Central Station, and a plaque for the writer Lewis Carroll where he visited his sister in Sunderland.

Nominees must have been dead for at least 20 years to allow the passage of time to provide "a little bit more perspective on that person's life".

The building linked to a nomination should also still exist.

Following the deadline, the charity's panels of experts and historians will discuss the nominations and make their decisions.

"Announcements probably won't be until spring next year," said Ms Harrison.