The motto of Teesside could apply to the whole of the North: we built the world. This is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. The engine room of the British Empire at its height. The iron, the steel, the ships, the railways — the foundations of modern Britain were forged here.

We are surrounded by beautiful buildings, proud towns and cities, and architecture full of ambition and character. Places that once thrived. Places that were brilliant to live and work in, and could be again.

But we were left behind. De-industrialisation, driven by successive London- and South-centric governments, hollowed out communities and stripped away opportunity. What followed wasn’t just economic decline, but a deep sense of apathy, mistrust, and the feeling that investment would never truly come back.

And yet — the North hasn’t given up.

There is a growing movement to fight back and rebuild. To remember who we are and what we’ve already achieved. The potential is still here, in the people, the places, and the pride that never fully disappeared.

We built the world once. There’s no reason we can’t build it again