Minus 18 but some South Tynesiders were heading out camping

South Tyneside was bracing itself for an astonishingly cold spell in 1963.

Out on the moors in minus 18 conditions

It was predicted to plunge to 18 degrees below zero but locals had some very different views on how it should be tackled.

The inclement weather led to a walkout at Fry’s Diecastings, on Jarrow’s Bede Industrial Estate.

The company employed 150 workers making die casts, mainly for the textile, electrical and car industries.

Too cold to work in Jarrow

The men and women in the trimming department downed tools, saying it was too cold to continue working.

But four students at South Tyneside College were relishing the freezing conditions.

James Wood, Diana Creswell, Derek Lamb (who was president of the Students’ Union) and Martin Perham were spending the weekend in a shelter they had made from snow blocks on the moors at Catton, near Allendale in Northumberland.

Check in with a chilly quest update

They wanted to find out how people feel when they are cold, hungry, lonely and with nothing but snow around them.

We want to know how their chilly quest went and whether you remember the snows of 1963.

Tell us more by emailing [email protected]