Autumn newsletter 2015 Friends of Jesmond Dene

Friends of Jesmond Dene Newsletter Autumn 2015 Number 76 Reg Charity no: 702260 Web Site Address: http//www.jesmondDene.org.uk Postal address: ‘Friends of Jesmond Dene’, c/o Ouseburn Parks' Visitor Centre, Red Walk, Jesmond Dene, Newcastle, NE7 7BQ.

Editorial We can’t believe that it is autumn already, but, the Dene looks beautiful in every season. We hope that you enjoy reading this latest edition of the Friends of Jesmond Dene Newsletter. See inside for details of the A.G.M. held at 14.00 hrs on May 17th at the Visitor Centre, Jesmond Dene.

Contents Inside: -

AGM Administration and Membership Information Adopt a Plot Scheme Heartbreak Productions – Plays in the Park Jesmond Dene Archives Memories of Jesmond Dene Pets Corner ‘Birds of Prey’ Rangers Update Volunteer Rangers Summer Tasks Volunteer Rangers Guided Heritage Walks Forthcoming Events

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Newsletter Editorial Team

Words from the Chairperson The committee members of the Friends of Jesmond Dene and the Volunteer Rangers thank all of you who have made donations via annual subscriptions, gifts and bequests to the FOJD for the conservation and upkeep of the Dene including the RFF. Gibson Trust for their continued support.

Banqueting Hall – Whilst we all want to see progress with this historic building, we feel the current proposals to develop the adjacent site into residential property is not in keeping with Lord Armstrong’s Deed of Gift. Therefore The FOJD have submitted an ‘objection’ to Newcastle City Council re the proposed developments to the Banqueting Hall as follows.

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‘The Friends of Jesmond Dene object to the proposal “Banqueting Hall 2015/0321/01/DET” as it fails to adhere either to the letter or the spirit of the conditions expressed in Lord Armstrong’s Deed of Gift 1883 in which he gifted Jesmond Dene and the Banqueting Hall to the people of Newcastle - specifically that the Banqueting Hall be used for “lectures, recitals, banquets and meetings connected with arts, literature, science or education” and “for those purposes only”; further that “no erection of building shall be set thereon except such as shall be appropriate to and necessary for” the specified purposes.’

We will wait and see what happens; there is a great opportunity here for the Banqueting Hall to become the community venue as Lord Armstrong wished and we hope this opportunity won’t be lost.

Road alterations Jesmond Dene Road – currently there are proposals by NCC to make this into a one way road and erect barriers it may impinge on access to Jesmond Dene and the Banqueting Hall. Any FOJD can look at the council website and make their feelings known to their local councillor.

Clive Gerrard Chair FOJD and Volunteer Ranger

Annual General Meeting This was held on Sunday 17th May at 14:00hrs, in the Visitor Centre, Jesmond Dene, thank you to all members who attended. The AGM started with a presentation to the winners of the children’s photography competition – there were prizes for 8 children – four in each category i.e. under 12’s and under 18. These were presented by Neil Atkinson who judged the competition and explained the merits of each photograph to the children and audience. Many thanks to Neil for his participation. The FOJD agreed that the photo competition should take place next year in the hope of encouraging new, younger members.

At the AGM:Officers were confirmed Financial accounts made available Projects underway discussed Date and time of next AGM meeting agreed Sunday 8th MAY 2016 at 2pm Prior to the meeting, the FOJD held an Open Day for members of the General Public on the 16th May, 10.00am – 15.00 and on the morning of 17th May. Our aims of the open day were to keep the interest of all current FOJD but, also to attract new members. We included items from the archive collection, information about the FOJD, the new Adopt-a-Plot- scheme, and all the activities/opportunities in which FOJD and Volunteers can take part, including the FOJD film group. The fantastic photographs, videos, leaflets and items drew a very favourable response from the public throughout the opening times.

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Administering the FOJD 

The Newsletter is available online and the Friends' website is the primary news source for both members and the general public. Printed copies of newsletters are still available for collection at the Ouseburn Parks' Visitor Centre, but we hope all members will now take advantage of our upgraded website for their Dene updates.

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FOJD now has a presence on Facebook. Please join the group to share thoughts and/or photographs of the Dene. Please like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofJesmondDene and/or join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/757773184342507/, to find out about future events in the Dene.

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The elected officers (listed on the back page) all take part in ensuring the smooth running of the organisation. However, we would like to give the opportunity for other Friends of Jesmond Dene to take on some of the roles. We envisage that anyone interested would take part in meetings and activities while having a 'shadowing' role with the main office bearers, without feeling they have to commit themselves until ready to do so. The main posts are Chair, Secretary & Treasurer plus four other members. We are keen to ensure that everyone enjoys contributing to Jesmond Dene without feeling such work becomes onerous. If interested, contact us at the address on the last page.

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If you have concerns or suggestions, please contact us using the form on the website at http://www.jesmonddene.org.uk/?page_id=2 or write to us at Friends of Jesmond Dene Newsletter Feedback C/O Ouseburn Parks' Visitor Centre, Red Walk, Jesmond Dene, Newcastle NE7 7BQ.

Membership Subscription Membership subscriptions for the year 2016 are due in January and are set at a flat rate of £5 p.a. for households. Everyone should now have been moved onto an annual bank Standing Order for these payments, but if not would you please ask your own bank to help set this up or the Membership Secretary if you need help or advice on how to do this - contact Keith Pringle, FOJD at the address on the last page of this newsletter.

Details you will need to set up the standing order are the bank details for the Friends bank - The Sort Code / Account Number you will need are 30 93 55 / 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.

Adopt-A-Plot Scheme We mentioned this in the last newsletter but want to remind everyone about the Adopt-a-Plot scheme. The FOJD have implemented this type of volunteer contribution into Jesmond Dene, alongside the regular volunteer sessions. Families or individuals, who are unable to attend the supervised volunteer sessions can still help look after a small piece of the Dene, at a time to suit them. For example, collecting litter from the old mill or, perhaps keeping a particular flight of steps free of leaves and debris, or even looking after a flower bed. Anyone wanting to find out more please contact Sarah on 0191 2650564 or email sarah.capes@newcastle.gov.uk

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Heartbreak Productions PLAYS IN THE PARK During June & July Heartbreak Productions made their annual visit to Jesmond Dene with three plays performed on Coleman’s Field. The repertoire invariably contains one Shakespeare play, an adaptation of a popular book or play and the third aimed at a younger audience. The latter, however, always seems to attract people of all ages who enjoy the event.

This year the offerings were Mr. Stink, Emma and Love’s Labour’s Lost.

Mr. Stink, adapted from David Walliams’ children’s book was entertaining and well received, especially the faithful dog that accompanies Mr. Stink everywhere. That he was a ‘prop’ rather than a real animal didn’t seem to matter.

Emma, clearly a favourite, was enjoyed at each performance in spite of some rain showers. Love’s Labour’s Lost was set in Oxford as new undergraduates assembled, cleverly linking the proposed three year’s study theme of the play to the plot itself. Two live stray dogs joined in one afternoon, but added to the fun!

Each play is performed by a different cast of four to six players and captivates the audience by their ability to switch parts with the minimum of scenery and costumes. Most people sit on the grass, although a little covered seating is provided, and have a picnic as the play goes on. A feature of the performances is for the cast to request that any leftovers are left on the stage for the consumption of starving actors!

This year, musical back up was provided by a local group conducted by Jackie Deans.

Maggie Dowman FOJD and Volunteer Ranger

JESMOND DENE ARCHIVES As in previous Newsletters we have mentioned that the FOJD have collected quite a store of archive material. There is a wealth of written information, slides and photographs, both old and new. Tom Hope, a previous member of staff has labelled and boxed most of the collection and we are in the process of digitising and cataloguing the material.

A small group of FOJD went to meet the archivist Keith Gilroy at Woodhorn Colliery taking the original ‘Deed of Gift’ in which Lord Armstrong gives over Jesmond Dene to the people of Newcastle in perpetuity. We hoped to receive advice on conservation of the deed as well as gaining information in looking after the FOJD archive items. It was a fascinating visit and we were shown around some of the storerooms at Woodhorn. These include temperature controlled rooms for the storage of film and negatives, several vaults which have argon gas fire safety systems to protect documents and books and, the rooms where copies and photographs are carefully made.

The archivist said that the deed was in good condition and didn’t really need any conservation.

We did agree however to leave the deed of gift so that it could be expertly copied using the latest equipment. The committee felt it would be useful to buy one laminated copy so that it can be examined by the public without taking harm, further paper copies – one of which can be on permanent display in the visitor/information centre.

Whenever we talk to members of the public, people come up with memories of the Dene & surrounding Parks that add to the history of the area. If you have any visual records you could share with us, or stories from 10, 30 or even 50 years ago, we would love to hear from you.

You can contact us and/or send your memories for possible inclusion in the Newsletter : - c/o FOJD Archives Project, Ouseburn Parks Visitor Centre, Millfield House, Jesmond Dene 4

Memories of Jesmond Dene 1. Henrietta Heald Author of biography of Lord Armstrong recently reminds us of this web address which shows an old film of Jesmond Dene taken in 1951. I’m sure it will reprise many memories. Most of this footage is currently on the screen above the Old Mill model in the Visitor Centre, so please call in to view it but ,if you want to look for yourself:-

http://www.northeastfilmarchive.com/videos/16483/jesmond-dene

2. We have also been sent the following request; hopefully somebody will be able to help Colleen find out more about her Uncle, John Trainer.

Hello, I'm not sure if you do this, but, I am doing my family history. My mum said that her uncle used to look after the Dene, in the 1920s, 1930s.

His name was John Trainer and his wife was called Bell/a He used to live on Matthew bank My mum remembers him taking her to the Dene in the late 1920s ,early 30s, when she was a small child. (She’s 93 now :)) She said that he worked there for a long time. Do you have any information on him that you Could share with me?

Or even a photo would be wonderful He went by the name of Jack and was born in 1890 Thank you Colleen If you can help please contact Colleen: -

geordiegirltx@aol.com

Yvonne Shannon FOJD and Volunteer Ranger

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Pets Corner - Birds of prey In June 2014 Pet’s Corner took in its first bird of prey in the form of a Barn Owl (Tyto alba) named Barney, now a 9 year old male. He was donated by his previous owner for the purpose of education and for exhibiting. Barney has been a popular attraction since his arrival. His behaviour, training and handling is challenging, which gives our volunteers and students more experience with predatory animals.

On a personal note, Barney has been a good first bird of prey. He has helped me through my Lantra Qualification in Falconry, which I am currently doing with Gry’s International Falconry Centre in Berwick. He has also worked with Askham Bryan College students for their behaviour and training units and has taken part in the public Tree Tots sessions with Becca, our Education Officer.

Barney is weighed on a daily basis; this is an extremely important part of managing a bird of prey.

In the wild, the owl would fly when hungry. They will catch prey such as a mice or voles and after filling up will sit in a tree to watch the world go by as their aim is to conserve energy. In falconry, the falconers work with the bird to mimic its natural instincts in a captive setting. After 24hrs the owl will produce a pellet (which is the fur, feathers and bone not digested by the bird and regurgitated back up) he is then ready to hunt again. As a captive barn owl Barney’s weight, health and workload is recorded daily. This indicates if he is over or under weight and how much to feed him, based on an appetite to weight ratio. We fly Barney to manage excess weight and build muscle, as well as form a bond with him.

As a captive Barn owl he has an article 10 document which is registered with Defra and a closed ring.*1 In captivity, barn owls can live up to 20 years but in the wild, 4-5 years is the norm.

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Numbers of wild Barn owls in the UK are in decline due to habitat loss, conversions of barns, road accidents, poisoning of prey, other predators and illness.

Barn owls are fascinating predators; not only do they have excellent hearing and eye sight, but they can fly vertically and land on prey. The coating on their feathers gives the owl its silent flight, but it makes them unable to repel water. Water will run off the backs of ducks and chickens, but with a barn owl, the moisture is absorbed. This adds to their weight and they struggle to fly, which in turn means they are more susceptible to the elements or other predators. When dry they are very light, under those soft down feathers is a very small honey combed skeleton designed to make the owl a fast, quick and silent killer. The negative aspect to this means a breeze can blow an owl off its perch and cause injury.

Falconry is one of the oldest field sports and has been in existence for thousands of years, in many different countries such as Abu Dhabi and Mongolia.

Hazel Bell Pets Corner Keeper Jesmond Dene

*1 Article 10 Certificate:- A keeper offering for sale, reward or commercially displaying a captive bred Barn Owl must have in his or her possession an Article 10 Certificate issued by DEFRA. The bird must also wear either closed leg ring or be fitted with a microchip implant.

For more information on Jesmond Dene please see the following:Friends of Jesmond Dene http//www.jesmondDene.org.uk Volunteer Rangers Old Mill Project http://www.jesmonddeneoldmill.org.uk/ Volunteer Rangers Nature Area Project http://www.jesmonddenenaturearea.org.uk/ ‘Autumn’ video by FOJD film Group on YouTube http://youtu.be/NDIGg4Bib_g Yvonne Shannon FOJD and Volunteer Ranger

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Rangers Update The table below shows the number of hours given by the Jesmond Dene Volunteer Rangers in the upkeep of Jesmond Dene. When translated into actual ‘wages’ this equates to a substantial amount. All the volunteers love doing the work in keeping the Dene looking spruce and if you want to join us please contact Sarah Capes on 0191 2650564 or email sarah.capes@newcastle.gov.uk Jesmond Dene Unskilled No. Vols Hours Days

Skilled Value

Professional

Hours Days Value

HoursDays Value

Jan

26

190.5

25.4 £1,270.00

190.5

25.4

£3,810.00

2

0.3

£80.00

Feb

28

222

29.6 £1,480.00

328.5

43.8

£6,570.00

12

1.6

£480.00

Mar

27

240.5

32.1 £1,603.33

192.5

25.7

£3,850.00

2

0.3

£80.00

653

87.1 £4,353.33

711.5

94.9

£14,230.00

16

2.1

£640.00

Qtr 4 Apr

29

174

23.2 £1,160.00

243

32.4

£4,860.00

2

0.3

£80.00

May

24

191

25.5 £1,273.33

301

40.1

£6,020.00

2

0.3

£80.00

Jun

54

267.5

35.7 £1,783.33

104

13.9

£2,080.00

2

0.3

£80.00

632.5

84.3 £4,216.67

648

86.4

£12,960.00

6

0.8

£240.00

Qtr 1 Total

£8,570.00

£27,190.00

TOTAL

£880.00 £36,640.00

Other volunteers work with the park rangers to keep all of the Ouseburn Parks looking good, read these examples to see how other groups are involved too.

Jesmond Dene Dave, Volunteer Ranger, has been making several hedgehog release boxes from wooden boards that the Friends of Heaton and Armstrong Parks have reclaimed from the old bowling green.

These boxes afford the hedgehogs some temporary protection whilst they get use to their new surroundings when they are released after been cared for following an injury.

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National Citizen Service - Robert, Catch 22 Volunteer wrote: "We were a group of 11 young people from a government run program called National Citizen Service, run by the charity Catch 22. As part of this program we have to complete 30 hours of 'social action' and 30 hours of planning the social action project. We volunteered in Jesmond Dene and helped out by litter picking in the morning, and clearing a steep path at the back of Pet’s Corner in the afternoon. Thank you very much for letting us help out."

Heaton and Armstrong Park In June the Friends of Heaton and Armstrong Park held their first Garden Party. It was a lovely summer’s day; a total of £285 was raised from the sale of plants and refreshments, all kindly donated by FOHAP and Volunteer Rangers. Many people enjoyed sitting in the Park Lodge garden, which Ann has "adopted" in the Adopt-a-Plot scheme, with a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake. Inside people were encouraged to find out more about the history of the parks from the information displays.

“We had a great day clearing overgrown pathways and general litter collection in Armstrong and Heaton Parks; it’s amazing what can be done by a team of dedicated people in a few hours! Ross Mackenzie BT Technology, Service & Operations.

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Dog exercise area questionnaire - Friends of Heaton and Armstrong Parks Funding from Places for People has enabled the FOHAP to look at the possibility of creating a fenced dog exercise area in the park. We have been carrying out surveys with park users to determine if this would be a good addition to the park (as dogs would still be allowed elsewhere) and if our suggested location would be used.

"I quite enjoyed it! It was great to speak to people about the park." Carolyn, Friend of Heaton and Armstrong Park

Vale House, Jesmond Vale Local residents, Volunteer Rangers, Councillors and NCC staff have helped to improve the biodiversity of the grassed area outside Vale House in Jesmond Vale. Wildflower plugs (small plants) were planted into the existing grassed area, which already boasted many native wildflower species. At the end of the season this area will be cut, raked and reseeded, so that next year, hopefully there will be even more wildflowers.

Paddy Freemans Paddy Freemans has benefitted from several scout groups doing litter picking for their Environment Badge and the Volunteer Rangers helped the Rangers hold a Buzzing Bee and Bug event. Visitors were given information about our pollinating friends, encourage to try honey harvested from the hives in Jesmond Dene and given the opportunity to try on a bee suit. This photograph shows a Bumble Bee visiting the honeycomb made by Honey Bees.

Sarah Capes Park Ranger 10

Summer tasks performed by Jesmond Dene Volunteer Rangers Path clearing in Jesmond Dene and Armstrong Park. In summer we don’t have a problem of autumn leaves but we still get mud washed onto the paths from the various slopes when it rains.

We also have to cut back a lot of vegetation that encroaches onto the paths; nettles, ivy and brambles seem to be the worst culprits. We have had several sessions clearing paths in a number of locations.

Clearing the pond near Fisherman’s Lodge. The pond’s outlet periodically gets blocked and needs to be cleared. The last time that we needed to clear the outlet we made an interesting discovery.

Someone had left a motorbike in the pond which only became visible when the water level fell. We rescued the bike and the police were informed.

Six oak trees were purchased by the Friends and suitable sites were chosen by ranger Mike.

Three sessions were devoted to planting the trees with suitable supports, and making sure they were well watered in.

Two or three sessions have been devoted to clearing debris from the river at one or two spots.

This involves one or two volunteers being in the river with wellingtons or waders, loading the smaller debris into buckets and tying larger pieces such as tree trunks to ropes. The items are then hauled up the bank or onto bridges by other volunteers and then disposed of. The whole process is tends to be rather messy and smelly. Where Himalayan Balsam is spotted on the river banks or elsewhere this has been removed by uprooting it, to prevent it spreading.

Time has been devoted to fence-mending where necessary. In a recent session the fence at St Mary’s Well had been damaged and needed palings to be replaced and the supports to be strengthened. In addition a falling tree had smashed part of a fence near to the Banqueting Hall.

The volunteers helped ranger Mike to remove the tree and to replace the broken sections of fence.

The shelter at the picnic field was tidied up and the seats were touched up by spraying them with black paint.

Several weekend sessions have been arranged in conjunction with the Friends of Heaton and Armstrong Parks in which all the Volunteers help to keep the park tidy by path clearing, cutting back undergrowth and litter-picking.

There has been a plentiful supply of timber from fallen or felled trees. The Volunteers have made use of this timber by splitting it into logs suitable for burning. The logs are stored until suitably dry and are then sold at the Visitors Centre. We now have an electric log splitter, so that volunteers are saved some of the physical effort of splitting the logs by hand.

The shelter in the nature area has had some of the guttering replaced. The previous guttering was found to be too shallow and overflowing water was damaging the paths, so deeper guttering has been installed.

Previously, time has been spent on making bird boxes and bat boxes, but this summer we have produced some hedgehog boxes. These are to be used for temporarily re-housing injured or orphaned hedgehogs when they are ready to be released into the wild. The boxes are made of sturdy timber and have a removable lid which is waterproofed with roofing felt. One box has been placed in the Nature Area and has had one or two occupants.

The bowling green at Heaton Park is no longer used for bowling and it is intended to use it as an open green space in future. It has been necessary to re-seed it, as it had become damaged. The volunteers have given the new grass its first couple of mows and time has been spent clearing weeds from around the edges. Friends of Heaton and Armstrong Parks were involved in the weeding work and secured funding for this work.

Dave Poste FOJD and Volunteer Ranger

Dave keeps a blog of Volunteer Ranger Activities on the FOJD Facebook page Please like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofJesmondDene and/or join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/757773184342507/, to find out about future events in the Dene 11

FOJD Heritage Walks (incorporating FOJD filming and video group) As many of our readers know we have a group of volunteers who take visitors on guided walks, initially we attended workshops led by John Grundy the TV presenter and local historian who proved to be an excellent mentor. (Previous newsletter article by Maggie Dowman) To date the walks on offer are: - 1. Armstrong Park and Jesmond Vale, 2. Jesmond Dene and 3. Heaton Park. Recently though, we have been carrying out research into the history of Paddy Freemans Park so we can now add a new 4th walk to our repertoire. Before inviting members of the general public to come along we always ‘test’ out the route and historical content on a willing group of volunteer rangers, FoJD and friends and relatives, so they can offer constructive feedback on what to include or maybe exclude. This time as well as the walk itself members of the FOJD filming group came along to get some footage of the ‘process’ of a walk, so we can show people one of the means we use to promote the use of the parks in the way Lord Armstrong might have wished.

It was a lovely evening and the weather couldn’t have been better, no muddy paths to negotiate and everyone enjoyed the event. Whilst we still need to carry on with more research and background reading feedback proved positive and the walk will be called ‘Paddy Freeman’s and Wild Jesmond Dene’.

The trial walk was on 22nd April and our first members of the public cohort for this new route were on May 20th this year and everyone said how much they liked it.

Thanks to participants Angela, Ann, Bill, Christine, Lynda, Pat and Sandra.

Plus Clive and Gary (FOJD filming and video group)

Yvonne Shannon, FOJD, Volunteer Ranger and Heritage walk Group.

Logs for Sale Since autumn 2012, the Volunteer Rangers have been raising funds from selling logs. The volunteers, cut, split and bag the logs. The bagged logs are then left to dry out/season in the wood store. All the wood has come from trees that have either needed to be felled for health and safety reasons or those that have come down of their own accord: like the horse chestnuts in the Dene and the beech trees in Heaton Park. Some timber is left on site as it adds to the biodiversity of the woodland; it slowly rots down and provides home for many invertebrates, small mammals and fungi.

Firewood ready for burning should never contain more than 25% moisture and ideally below 20%.

The moisture content is checked by moisture meter and most of the logs sold in the Dene are below 20%. Bringing seasoned logs indoors a few days before burning will also help to reduce moisture content.

Bagged logs can be bought from the Visitor Centre for £3.50 per bag; please call beforehand if you are making a special journey on 0191 281 2082.

Further information about wood or other solid fuels can be found at www.solidfuel.co.uk Sarah Capes, Newcastle City Council Parks and Countryside Ranger.

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Ouseburn Parks Events October 2015 to December 2015 Saturday 10 October 1.30 - 4pm Bulb Planting and Autumn Nature Trail Ouseburn Parks Visitor Centre, Jesmond Dene (next to Millfield House Cafe) Charge - 50p - £1.50 Come and plant some bulbs to take home with you and nurture. You can also take part in our Autumn Nature Trail and an Autumn Scavenger Hunt. There will be a £1.50 charge for the bulb planting, 50p charge for the trail and the scavenger is free. Contact the Visitor Centre for more information on 2812082.

Sunday 11 October 1.30 - 3.30pm Armstrong Park and the "lost" village of Jesmond Vale Meet at the Pavilion - Heaton Park £3 per person Join the volunteers who are passionate about the parks on this guided walk through Armstrong Park and Jesmond Vale. Booking essential on or before Friday 9 October. Contact the Visitor Centre on 2812082 to book and for more information. Still places at time of going to press.

Sunday 11 October 1.30 - 3.30pm Bulb Planting and Autumn Nature Trail Heaton Park – The Pavilion Charge - 50p - £1.50 Come and plant some bulbs to take home with you and nurture. You can also take part in our Autumn Nature Trail and an Autumn Scavenger Hunt. There will be a £1.50 charge for the bulb planting, 50p charge for the trail and the scavenger is free. Contact the Visitor Centre for more information on 2812082.

Sunday 18 October 1.30 - 3.30pm Paddy Freeman's and the wilder parts of Jesmond Dene Meet at the Cafe - Paddy Freeman's £3 per person Join the volunteers who are passionate about the parks on this guided walk through Paddy Freeman's and Jesmond Dene. Booking essential on or before Friday 16 October. Contact the Visitor Centre on 2812082 to book and for more information. Still places at time of going to press.

Tuesday 27 or Saturday 31 October 5.30 - 8pm Halloween Pumpkins and Walk Ouseburn Parks Visitor Centre, Jesmond Dene (next to Millfield House Café) Charge - £5 per child and £2.50 per adult.

Come along and carve a pumpkin lantern (pumpkins will be provided) We will then go for an evening walk through the Dene to see what we can find, there may be eyes watching us from all sorts of places!! We’ll return to the Visitor Centre for hot chocolate and pumpkin soup. Minimum age 6 years. Booking essential, please call the Visitor Centre to book your place and for more information on 2812082.

Sunday 22 November 1.30 – 3.30pm Bird Feeders Ouseburn Parks Visitor Centre, Jesmond Dene (next to Millfield House Café) £2.50 per wooden feeder The colder weather is here and the birds need all the help they can get. Why not come and make a bird feeder, and get some tips on easy ways to feed the birds over the winter. Contact the Rangers for more information on 2812082.

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Saturday 12 December 10am – 12pm Christmas Wreaths Ouseburn Parks Visitor Centre, Jesmond Dene (next to Millfield House Café) £10 per person (include refreshments) Come along and make your own Christmas Wreath. All materials will be provided but if you have a pair of secateurs, please bring them with you. Places are limited; book early to ensure your place, 2812082 and for more information. This is an event for adults, so sorry, no under 16s.

Sunday 13 December 12.30 – 4pm Family Festive Fun Ouseburn Parks Visitor Centre, Jesmond Dene (next to Millfield House Café) A joint event with the Volunteers, Friends of Jesmond Dene and the Rangers. Come and try your hand at making some simple Christmas decorations from natural and recycled materials. There will be a charge of £2/£1 for the decorations. There will also be Christmas Carols, light refreshments, tombolas and raffles. This is a drop in event. For more information please contact the Rangers on 2812082.

Thursday 17 December 10 – 12pm Christmas Wreaths Ouseburn Parks Visitor Centre (next to Millfield House Café) £10 per person (include refreshments) Come along and make your own Christmas Wreath. All materials provided but if you have a pair of secateurs please bring them with you. Places are limited; book early to ensure your place, 2812082 and for more information. This is an event for adults, so sorry, no under 16s.

Please look out for our January to March events on the notice boards around the Visitor Centre in the Dene or follow the Friends of Jesmond Dene on Facebook.

Please like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofJesmondDene and/or join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/757773184342507/, to find out about future events in the Dene.

Committee list: Chairman Vice Chairman Treasurer Secretary Members Membership Sec. Newsletter Team

Clive Gerrard Mike Cook Lynda Fean Sue Stokel-Walker Christina Cook, Maggie Dowman, Yvonne Shannon Keith Pringle Maggie Dowman, Yvonne Shannon

Sarah Capes (Ranger, 0191265 0564) sarah.capes@newcastle.gov.uk mobile 07966 264391 Webmaster Carlton Reid http//www.jesmondDene.org.uk 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

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