An environmental campaigner from Hebburn has been honoured with a blue plaque for her contributions to cleaner air. Eliza Jane 'Jennie' Shearan fought tirelessly over decades to campaign against pollution in her local area.
She led the Hebburn Residents' Action Group and campaigned against pollution that was coming from Monkton Coke Works from 1980 to 2000. She was also the first and only female Chairman of Tyne and Wear County Council, and sadly passed away in 2005, aged 82.
Councillor Angela Lamonte, Chair of Hebburn Community Area Forum and Hebburn South Councillor, officially unveiled the plaque at Hebburn Central, ahead of it being positioned at the home where Jennie Shearan once lived in Melrose Avenue. Also in attendance were members of Jennie's family and Hebburn Action Group.
Keep up to date with all the latest local news from South Tyneside with our free newsletter
Councillor Lamonte said: "It’s lovely to have this plaque for Jennie as she was such an inspiration. She had such strength and wouldn’t give up, and I’m proud to be here having known her personally."
Jennie was born in Hebburn in November of 1922, and she always lived in the South Tyneside town, moving into the Monkton Lane Estate in 1953 and being assured that the nearby Monkton Coke Works would close down after a couple of years. However, over decades, the plant just continued to grow, with the pollution it created negatively impacting the lives of local residents.
As chairman of the council, Jennie created Hebburn Residents' Action Group in 1987, empowering the local community and highlighting the health risks caused by air pollution in her neighbourhood, sharing her views with British Coal, Central Government and the European Parliament.
The Blue Plaque unveiling is one of five that have been awarded across the region as part of the Inspiring Pioneers Commemorative Plaque scheme, which is a partnership between local councils, Newcastle University and The Common Room. It aims to highlight and celebrate pioneering women who inspired great change in industry.
Jennie's grandson, Gianfranco Rosolia, added: "Jennie had been this wonderful mix of vigour and energy and strong principles. She was kind, warm and funny and she’d really loved life and she loved people and she especially loved Hebburn and the people of Hebburn.
"It is such a special moment. For Jennie to be recognised as part of the North East’s Inspiring Pioneers initiative that celebrates women of the region who have inspired great change is a huge honour. I’m so glad that Jennie and the action group have been recognised in this way. I think it’s a truly beautiful way to commemorate their legacy."
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Christmas and New Year in the North East community
Join our I'm A Celebrity community for all the latest updates from the jungle
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
