Bells toll in Newcastle as city marks former US President Jimmy Carter's funeral
A memorial service for Jimmy Carter has been held in Newcastle in recognition of the 39th President of the United States' links to the North East.
Mr Carter died on December 29 at the age of 100. He was the first sitting president to visit Newcastle when he travelled to the city in May 1977 - his first overseas trip in office.
The ceremony was held close to the spot where President Carter greeted a 20,000 strong crowd with the classic Geordie phrase “howay the lads”.
Newcastle City Council leader Karen Kilgour called him an “extraordinary global leader and a friend of our city” who had left a “lasting impression of his warmth, humility, and commitment to peace – qualities many a world leader could do with prioritising in our modern world”.
She added: “The historic visit marked the beginning of a special relationship between Newcastle and Atlanta in Georgia, his home state, fostering years of cultural, academic, and business connections.
“It was a moment in history I am proud to have been present for as I joined my parents among the crowds waiting to catch a glimpse of the world’s most powerful person.
"Just a child at the time, it was something of a shock, as well as a treasured memory, that he took the time to speak to me personally even if I was a little too shy to engage," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
President Carter’s 1977 visit also included a trip to Washington Old Hall, the manor house which is the ancestral home of the family of America’s first president, George Washington.
He and his wife Rosalynn, who died in 2023, launched the Friendship Force exchange programme that same year in an effort to build relationships around the world – with the first exchange involving 762 travellers between Newcastle and Atlanta.
Six years after his presidency had ended, Mr Carter returned to Newcastle in 1987 and stayed with a local family.
During Thursday’s ceremony, a wreath was laid at the commemorative stone which marks his original visit and the civic centre’s bills chimed 39 times in recognition of his position as the 39th president.
The US flag was lowered to half-mast outside the civic centre and a bugler played US national anthem and Taps, the bugle call traditionally sounded at American military funerals.
The Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Rob Higgins, said that President Carter’s visit to Newcastle was “an extremely proud moment in the history of our city and forged links that we treasure to this day”.
He added: “Jimmy charmed everyone with the warmth of his personality and his wonderful sense of humour, declaring himself also to be a Geordie.”
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