New projects and new people

There are a number of exciting developments, with new projects and some new faces joining the Durham Wildlife Trust team.

Link Together

A former golf course, local parks, and woodlands, are all areas that are in line to be restored for wildlife, after Durham Wildlife Trust secured £149,462 of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The funds will be used to build on the work already done by the Trust and Sunderland City Council to develop Link Together. Link Together will focus on 13 green spaces across the Coalfield area of Sunderland, and, in the initial one-year development phase, a Project Manager will be appointed to engage local people in the project, and commission a range of surveys and studies. The locations include nature reserves, a former golf course, parks, woodlands, and water courses. The project aims to encourage more people to access wild spaces by creating a network of habitats through woodland planting, meadow restoration, and wetland management.

Health and well-being will be a major theme. Link Together will work closely with local GPs to see how social prescribing can be used to encourage participation and deliver improved mental and physical health. If the development phase is successful, Link Together will begin delivering on the ground in early 2024.

Development Manager recruitment is underway, more details about the project can be found at durhamwt.com/link-together

Natural Communities

Thanks to funding from three Durham County Council Area Action Partnerships (Weardale, Teesdale, and mid-Durham), Durham Wildlife Trust will be supporting more people to get involved in volunteering. Alison Laing is the newly-appointed Natural Communities Officer and will be working with established volunteers in Deepdale Wood, as well as working with new groups in Winston, Evenwood, and Cockfield. Groups from three churches around Esh will be transforming their church grounds into havens for wildlife, with Alison’s help, and encouraging local children and older residents to get involved in caring for them. Alison will also be spending time at Low Barns Nature Reserve, helping with volunteer training and encouraging local residents from across Weardale to have a go at practical volunteering. Find out more about the project: durhamwt.com/natural-communities

Alison Laing