Friends of Jesmond Dene Autumn Newsletter 2019

NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2019 NUMBER:84 PAT R O N – J O H N G R U N DY Reg Charity no: 702260

THIS ISSUE AUTUMN OR JESMOND ALWAYS A PLACE T

WINTER, DENE IS GOOD O BE

Annual General Meeting Page 2 Bees in Jesmond Dene Page 3 Green Flag Award Page 4 Nature Area Page 5 Millfield House Garden Page 6 Self-Guided Walk Page 7

Robin singing on a tree in Jesmond Dene photograph taken by Brian C. Barker

Trees from the Rotary Club Page 8 Volunteer Rangers Log Page 8 Upcoming Events Page 12 Contact addresses and Membership Information Page 13

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2019

Held on Sunday, 12 May at 2:00 pm; in the Classroom at the Visitor Centre in Jesmond Dene. Refreshments were served.

Our thanks to Jeff Mason a member of the RSPB Jeff provided a most interesting and informative talk about the birds in Jesmond Dene using some lovely photographs provided by Brian Barker, Lindsay McDougall and Jeff himself. Jeff explained that the local RSPB ran an annual session of The Big Garden Bird Watch within Jesmond Dene in the Nature Area. He reported that 3 of the 4 bird boxes within the Nature Area were currently occupied and that the recent tree clearance had helped to make the area more wildlife friendly. The talk illustrated the differences and similarities between the Jesmond Dene findings and the overall UK findings for the Big Birdwatch.

Thank you, Jeff, for your time and your love of birds!

The business side of the meeting included the election of officers, treasurers report, and chairman’s report.

Election of Officers: Chair Treasurer Secretary

Clive Gerrard Jacki Holmes Sue Stokel-Walker

Committee members: John Blakemore, Robert Brandt, Geoffrey Carter Sarah Capes is the co-opted representative from Newcastle Parks and Allotment Trust.

Keith Pringle is Honorary Membership Secretary, but is standing down in 2020 Geoffrey Carter is our Independent examiner for the annual accounts.

Patron: - John Grundy

The date of the next AGM will be Sunday, 10 May 2020 at 2:00 pm in the Classroom of the Visitor Centre, Jesmond Dene.

YVONNE SHANNON FOJD and Volunteer Ranger 2

BEES IN JESMOND DENE

We’ve always been interested in the wildlife in Jesmond Dene, regularly walking through recording birds and butterflies. We’ve also volunteered in the Dene, filling bird feeders, running moth traps during bat and moth events and helping at Nature Area open days.

In the spring of 2015, we received an email from Sarah Capes, then a ranger with the Countryside and Parks Department of Newcastle City Council. The email contained an offer of a free course on the identification of bumblebees, and on setting up a Bee walk survey. The course tutor was Richard Comont, the Science Manager of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. The course comprised a classroom session, held in the Ouseburn Parks Visitor Centre, opposite Pets’ Corner, describing how to setup a Bee walk Survey and how to identify the common species of bumblebee. We followed this by a practical training session in the field (the field in this instance being Coleman’s Field), identifying the bees on the Rhododendron that grow there.

Photograph of a Tree Bee We came home with a lot of enthusiasm and an information pack containing everything we needed to set up a Bee walk survey and to start surveying. The survey consists of a transect about a mile in length, broken down into several sections where habitat changed. We chose to start from the garden at Millfield House, walking across Coleman’s Field, across the new bridge over the Ouseburn, up and down the hill under Armstrong Bridge, into Jesmond Vale and finished with a circuit of the field by White Bridge.

Our first Bee walk was in June 2015, and since then we’ve walked our Bee walk 33 times (BCT ask you to survey at least monthly between March and October). We’ve recorded 346 bees of 8 species.

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Results of our bee survey in Jesmond Dene

It’s interesting that the commonest species is the Tree Bumblebee, Bombus hypnorum. It is a relatively new arrival in the United Kingdom, having been first recorded in 2001. Since then, Tree Bumblebees have slowly moved north, they must have reached Newcastle sometime before 2015, as we recorded it on our first Bee walk Survey.

A month or so ago we asked Bumblebee Conservation to extract all our data and send it to us. We forwarded the records to ERIC North East, our local environmental records centre, and as a result, our records will contribute to the publication “The Bumblebees of Northumberland and Durham” currently being prepared by the Natural History Society of Northumbria.

We consider that our monthly Bee walk survey through Jesmond Dene and Jesmond Vale is time very well spent.

MIKE and CHRISTINA COOK FOJD and Vol. Rangers

GREEN FLAG AWARD This prestigious award has been given to two of Newcastle Parks. Jesmond Dene and Walker Park.

Well done to everyone involved.

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NATURE AREA The Nature Area Project was completed some 7 or 8 years ago and since then the Nature Area has been successfully used for regular public open days and school visits. Although it has been regularly maintained over this period it has been clear for some time that a more thorough overhaul was needed. Robert Brandt, a retired Landscape Architect, a FOJD Committee member and Volunteer Ranger, worked with the Newcastle Parks and Allotments Trust Senior Ranger, Sarah Capes to develop a plan for the area to bring it back to its very best. A small team of Volunteer Rangers worked to execute the plan. During June / July they put in approximately 100 hours of effort to remove unwanted plants – Hog Weed, Nettles, Dock, Mare’s Tail etc. - and to consider improvements to the existing planting scheme to increase variety and quality of the meadow species. They removed existing domestic daffodils from some of the borders – these will be replanted elsewhere in the Dene in Autumn. The fruit beds have been treated with goats’ manure from Pets Corner to improve the quality of fruit expected in future from the black currents, white currents and gooseberry.

The next big work push will be after the meadow has had its annual cut in Autumn. At this time, we will continue to clear-out the undesirables – it will be easier then to dig out the deep-rooted plants such as Hog Weed – and a good time to improve the meadow quality and variety. Funded by the Volunteers and FOJD, hundreds more wildflower plugs will be planted – everything from grasses and reeds to flowers such as bugle, wound wort and loose strife. We will also replant the salvaged domestic daffodils elsewhere in the Dene and replace them in the Nature Area with more appropriate wild varieties such as Tenby.

In the fruit beds we expect to replace the exhausted Alpine Strawberries with new plants – although this will depend on the time available, since Autumn this year will be a very busy time for us. Also, in Autumn, work will continue on the hillside above the Nature Area where a lot of effort over several years has gone into clearing the brambles and planting more wildflowers. This year will see more foxgloves and ferns planted. Looking further ahead, when we complete the task of clearing nonenative varieties, we will begin planting native British Bluebells. We will then look forward to seeing the benefits of all this volunteer time and money investment in a much-enhanced Nature Area to the benefit of our wildlife in the Dene.

KEITH PRINGLE FOJD and Vol. Ranger 5

MILLFIELD HOUSE GARDEN The last occupants to live in Millfield House were two ladies called Nancy and Sybil Watts. Keith Pringle writes about the efforts being made to bring back their garden into a facsimile of their Edwardian splendour.

‘For some time, Millfield House Garden has been in need of some extra care and Robert Brandt, (as in the above article) was the right person to provide it.

Over the last year Robert has spent many, many hours in the garden. After a major survey of the existing state, he designed and implemented a work plan to bring it back to its best as a traditional Edwardian garden. He spent many sessions on a thorough programme of weed control to eliminate the willow herb, dandelion, brambles etc. rampant throughout the garden. Alongside the weeding effort, he designed and carried out other improvements, with funding from the FOJD for new plants.

He has replanted many of the beds, filling in gaps in the planting scheme and reintroducing some old English rose varieties appropriate to the gardens Edwardian origins. The Yew hedges prominent throughout the garden and terraces are also looking so much better after the regular trimming they have had throughout the year.

Millfield House Garden

We hope soon to replace the dilapidated picnic benches with modern recycled plastic versions, funded by the Friends of Jesmond Dene.

Robert hopes that after all his hard work we can now recruit some ‘Adopt-a-Plot’ volunteer(s) for the much smaller workload of regular maintenance in the garden – So any volunteers out there? If so, please contact the Newcastle Parks and Allotments Trust Ranger, Sarah Capes (see last page). ‘ KEITH PRINGLE FOJD and Vol. Ranger 6

SELF GUIDED WALK Jesmond Dene has much to offer in terms of wildlife, indeed there is a plethora of flora and fauna and, many artists have used the Dene as a source of inspiration for their work. In April this year Matilda Bevins created an image of a Nootka Cypress tree planted near the Banqueting Hall and exhibited in this same building.

To help visitors make the most of Lord and Lady Armstrong's garden John Blakemore informs us of a new Nature Trail, he is working on alongside Senior Ranger Sarah Capes; that is to update and develop a self-navigated walk in the Dene.

The aim is to point out trees, plants, and birds of interest as a journey is made along the river.

John would welcome suggestions as to what should be highlighted as lots of our regular visitors have favourite spots or trees that could be included. If you have any suggestions of what to add please pass on the details by contacting us as per last page.

Trees on Colemans Field picnic area JOHN BLAKEMORE FOJD and Volunteer Ranger

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TREES FROM THE ROTARY CLUB Following on from a donation to the Dene in 2017 by the Rotary Club of Newcastle upon Tyne of 90 young trees, the Club has arranged for a further 15 trees to be supplied to the Dene this autumn. The trees, which are a mixture of crab apple, rowan and hazel, are supplied by the Woodland Trust which, each year has a limited number of free saplings which they can give to schools and community groups to encourage the planting of trees and improve the environment.

The Club contacted Sarah Capes, senior ranger at the Dene, this spring to ask if she would be interested in the Club ordering some more trees. She said, “We have very few crab apple, rowan and hazel in the Dene, so additions would be appreciated and add to our species diversity� The trees will be delivered to the Dene in November.

The Rotary Club of Newcastle, which meets each week in the New Kent Hotel on Osborne Road, is part of Rotary International, a worldwide organisation comprising 1.2 million passionate individuals meeting in over 35,000 groups. Rotary is both an international non-governmental organization and a local community leader. Members come together to strengthen their connections to friends and neighbours and look for ways they can achieve their commitment to improving lives.

PETER FIRTH Rotary Club of Newcastle upon Tyne website: www.rotary-newcastleupontyne.org.uk

VOLUNTEER RANGERS SPRING AND SUMMER TASKS The volunteer rangers meet several times a month to carry out maintenance task in Jesmond Dene and the other Ouseburn Parks. Most of the sessions are held during the week and so attract people who are free during those times. Inevitably this means that the majority of the volunteer rangers are retired. Amongst retired people there is a great variation in fitness levels, but the volunteering we carry out allows volunteers to operate at their own level, carrying out energetic tasks if they are able, or carrying out less energetic tasks, such as pruning, if preferred. Volunteering is beneficial as it allows us to be in the open air, amongst nature and in the company of like-minded people. There is also the satisfaction of doing something for the community, a feeling that is emphasized when we receive a 'well-done' comment from the passers-by.

Path clearing and cutting back The Ouseburn Parks have a large network of paths that need to be kept in a tidy condition. We don't want park visitors to be faced with thick mud as they walk around or to have encroaching vegetation, such as brambles and nettles getting in the way. As Jesmond Dene and Armstrong Park are in a steep-sided valley any rainfall tends to wash soil and debris downhill and across the paths.

It is therefore a never-ending task keeping the paths clear. We try to leave a nice neat path edge where possible and dispose of our cuttings in some hidden spot if we can find one.

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Path clearing

Apart from clearing paths in Jesmond Dene, the volunteer rangers also do path-clearing work in Paddy Freeman's, Armstrong Park, Heaton Park and Walker Riverside Park. We also recently had a session of path-clearing around St Mary's Chapel.

Litter Picking This is another never-ending task, as so much litter is deposited in the parks. Wherever we are doing some work we always take some litter pickers and black bags and detail someone to carry out a litter pick of the local area. Areas such as Coleman’s Field and the Picnic field in Jesmond Dene become particularly litter-strewn during sunny weekends and bank holidays. It can be frustrating if one sees discarded litter in difficult-to-reach places, such as down a steep slope.

Coleman's Field Coleman’s Field contains many different shrubs and trees grouped together in islands of vegetation and alongside the eastern stone wall. The volunteer rangers have spent several sessions cutting back these shrubs and removing unwanted plants such brambles. Coleman's Field now looks a lot neater than it did last year.

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Sweeping leaves Fence mending The wooden fences in Jesmond Dene occasionally become damaged or collapse due to rotting supports. In such cases the volunteer rangers carry out repairs. This will involve putting in new uprights, where the original one has rotted, and replacing missing cross pieces and palings. A recent session involved replacing a length of fencing near the Picnic Field.

Fallen Trees Occasionally, for various reasons, trees come down in the parks, often damaging fences and blocking paths. When this happens, the rangers use chain saws to reduce the trees to manageable lengths so that they can be dragged out of the way. The volunteer rangers often provide help in removing branches and manageable pieces of wood and using bow saws to cut up tangled branches so that the wood can be removed. Much of the larger wood is kept to be used to make logs. The logs are chopped into manageable pieces and are put into bags by the volunteer rangers so that they can be sold in the Visitors Centre.

The Nature Area The Nature Area, across the river from Pets' Corner, was created a few years ago to provide a space where groups of children could visit and experience nature by dipping for pond creatures in one of the two ponds there. Prior to any such session the volunteer rangers make sure that the area is in a reasonably neat state, by weeding the paths and cutting back vegetation. Weeds are raked from the ponds and paths are mowed across the wild-flower meadow.

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Tidying by the Old Mill Walker Riverside Park and Hadrian's Way The volunteer rangers often have sessions in Walker Riverside Park and along the paths of Hadrian’s Way and part of the C2C cycle route. The rangers like to keep this pathway in decent condition as it is used by visitors to our region. The work usually involves path clearing and cutting back as well as litter picking.

Graffiti We often have problems with graffiti being written or sprayed on notice boards, litter bins and seats. The volunteer rangers have graffiti wipes and brushes which they use when necessary to remove the offending items.

Plant Stall For several years, the volunteer rangers have run a plant stall at the Armstrong Bridge Market which is held once a month. The plants that we sell are provided by the volunteer rangers and the proceeds go to the volunteer funds. The stall is also used to provide publicity and information about the Friends of Jesmond Dene and about guided walks and any other upcoming events in the Dene.

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Havannah and Big Waters Nature Reserves These are two large nature reserves to the north-east of the city on old colliery land. The reserves comprise woodland and heath areas, as well as some ponds. The pathways are fairly rough, but sometimes need boardwalks to be constructed or repaired where the ground is boggy. Work is done in the heath area of Havannah to maintain it as a heath by removing encroaching trees. We have recently done some tree planting at the boundaries of the reserves.

Power tool training A number of the volunteer rangers have received power tool training to ensure that they are able to operate power tools correctly and safely. The training included the use of lawnmowers, strimmer’s, hedge trimmers and drills. Following this training the volunteer rangers intend to purchase an electric strimmer and an electric hedge trimmer, which will be available for the use of qualified volunteers. It is hoped that the use of such power tools will make the volunteer rangers more productive and better able to keep the parks tidy.

Heaton Park On some Saturday mornings the Friends of Heaton Park meet to do tidy-up work in the park.

Some of the volunteers from Jesmond Dene go along to help.

DAVE POSTE Volunteer Ranger

UPCOMING EVENTS Making Christmas Wreaths, always a popular event. Dates will be released on Saturday 28 Oct on Facebook but bookings will not be taken until Tuesday 1 October at 9.30am.

Please see up to date activities and events on FOJD Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/757773184342507/ Web https://www.jesmonddene.org.uk/

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FRIENDS OF JESMOND DENE COMMITTEE LIST Chair Treasurer Secretary Members Membership Sec. Newsletter Team

Clive Gerrard Jacki Holmes Sue Stokel-Walker Geoffrey Carter, John Blakemore, Robert Brandt Keith Pringle Yvonne Shannon

Sarah Capes (Senior Ranger, 0191 2650564) sarah.capes@newcastleparksandallotments.org.uk mobile 07966 264391 Webmaster Carlton Reid http://www.jesmondDene.org.uk

Patron

John Grundy

Next Newsletter contributions or any other queries to: Friends of Jesmond Dene, c/o Ouseburn Parks Visitor Centre, Millfield House, Red Walk, Jesmond Dene, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7BQ or email as above.

Subscriptions are set at a flat rate of £5 p.a. for households, paid by standing order. Our Membership Secretary is available if you need help or advice on how to join - contact Keith Pringle, FOJD at the address above. To set up the standing order you will need the bank details for the Friends bank - The Sort Code is 30 93 55 The Account Number is 01464356. Would you also please ask them to assign a payment reference of your own full name (forename and surname) so that we can correctly identify your payment.

To join the FOJD contact Keith Pringle, at the address above.

To join the Jesmond Dene Volunteer Rangers or if you are interested in the Adopt-a-Plot scheme please contact: Sarah Capes (Senior Ranger, 0191 2650564) sarah.capes@newcastleparksandallotments.org.uk mobile 07966 264391

Reg Charity no: 702260 Web: https://www.jesmonddene.org.uk/ Postal address: ‘Friends of Jesmond Dene’, c/o Ouseburn Parks' Visitor Centre, Red Walk, Jesmond Dene, Newcastle, NE7 7BQ.

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