Side Gallery, which opened on Newcastle Quayside in 1977, closed in 2023 but Amber Film and Photography Collective has announced plans to continue its work through digital access and community partnerships
A fresh enterprise has taken residence in the former Side Gallery premises on Newcastle Quayside, after the organisation confirmed it would remain permanently shuttered. Following its 2023 closure amid funding reductions, Amber Film and Photograph Collective – the gallery’s operator – announced it would persist with projects, educational initiatives and digital collection access.
This development comes after efforts to rescue the gallery, which launched in 1977 and earned recognition for exhibiting photography that captured working-class existence across the North East and beyond.
Laura Laffer, managing director of Amber Film and Photography, expressed gratitude to campaign supporters, whose contributions helped bridge financial shortfalls until grants materialised and enabled cataloguing of the AmberSide collection into a digital platform, website development and expanded community access.
With pledges of fresh partnerships and initiatives for 2026, Ms Laffer declared: “What comes next is grounded in our renewed commitment to our region. The North East has always been our centre of gravity. Its communities, photographers, cultural life and irreplaceable heritage continue to shape who we are.”, reports Chronicle Live.
“From our home here, we are expanding our cross-region remit that lets us support more people while staying rooted in the place that made us. At the same time we remain committed to linking the North East to the rest of the world through documentary projects and sharing working class solidarity across borders.
“After consultation and expert guidance from across the arts and heritage sector, from December 2025, Side will no longer be a solely gallery-based model and will not be reopening our Quayside location. Instead we have become a vibrant and multi-faceted organisation: working with high-profile exhibition partners and local community and heritage centres, building digital access, continuing our established education programme, and supporting incredible creativity in lens-based documentary arts.
“The AmberSide Collection remains protected. Our mission stays the same. The way we reach people will only grow wider.”
The previous gallery premises, situated close to the Tyne Bridge, now houses Reform Studios – a wellness and health hub operated by “adopted Geordie” Victoria Darroch, who left her finance and consultancy career to launch the membership-based venture. The facility provides pilates, meditation, yoga and sound healing classes alongside infrared saunas and ice baths.
Additionally, the studio features a café offering wholesome cuisine and specifically caters to hectic city centre professionals. Ms Darroch explained: “We have gyms and fitness studios, but we don’t have a truly all-round wellness centre like you see in many other countries. The Quayside is the perfect location – the river, the bridges, the space people already come to run, walk and clear their minds. Newcastle needs this, and it needs it now.”
Reform Studios currently has seven staff members on its books, with aspirations to grow the workforce to nine.
The venue kicks off its schedule at 6am and runs through to midday sessions tailored to be sweat-free for corporate clients, plus evening classes.
