Welcome to Durham Wildlife Trust

DURHAM WELCOME EDITION

Discover the direct impact your Durham Wildlife Trust membership has conserving wildlife from the Tees to the Tyne and how to make the most of your membership.

MOREE T U O FIND T THE WIDAL ABOU F LOCN TO O E G RAN VES OPE S R RESERR MEMBE OU 8-9 e See pag

WILDLIFE DURHAM WELCOME | 1

WELCOME

By joining Durham Wildlife Trust you have become part of a movement that for more than a century has been saving wildlife and wild places and increasing people’s awareness and understanding of the natural world.

The Wildlife Trusts work on land and sea, from hidden valleys and coves to city streets. Wherever you are, Wildlife Trust places and projects are never far away. We look after more than 2,300 nature reserves, covering 98,500 hectares, and operate more than 100 visitor and education centres in every part of the UK and on Alderney and the Isle of Man. Durham Wildlife Trust was established in 1971 by local volunteers who were passionate about the wildlife of their area. The Trust operates from the Tees to the Tyne across County Durham, Darlington, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland and for 50 years has been managing nature reserves and saving threatened species from extinction.

Today wildlife is under greater threat than ever before. The pressures modern life imposes on the natural world, from expanding towns and cities to increasing demands on agriculture to feed a growing population are coupled with a changing climate. The result is a wildlife emergency, with habitats and species declining and people beginning to suffer as a result. Thankfully the natural world can provide the solutions and by supporting Durham Wildlife Trust you are helping nature to recover.

Thank you for your support and here’s to the next 50 years of celebrating the wildlife and wild places that make our region so special.

GET IN TOUCH mail@durhamwt.co.uk 0191 584 3112 Durham Wildlife Trust Rainton Meadows, Chilton Moor, Houghton-le-Spring Tyne & Wear DH4 6PU FOLLOW US @ durhamwildlife @ durhamwildlife @ durhamwildlifetrust

OUR IMPACT, FROM THE TEES TO THE TYNE

all Pho rsh to Credit: Tom Ma

Here are just some examples of the difference your membership makes.

38 NATURE RESERVES (AND COUNTING) special places saved and looked after for people and wildlife.

THOUSANDS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN welcomed to our nature reserves every year to learn about wildlife and the natural world.

HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS Front Cover Credit: Ray Cooper

SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

Thanks to members like you, our small organisation can make big things happen.

youtube.com/DurhamWildlifeTrust durhamwt.com/news

‘We are part of the natural world: we depend on it for the air we breathe and the food we eat. The Wildlife Trusts are helping people to understand their role in the natural world and their dependency on it. This is essential if we are going to speed nature’s recovery.’

HUNDREDS OF EVENTS EVERY YEAR engaging adults and children with the natural world around them.

NEARLY 10,000 MEMBERS together giving wildlife a greater voice in our region

collectively give thousands of hours of their time to support the work of Durham Wildlife Trust each year - managing nature reserves, carrying out surveys, working in our offices and visitor centres.

WILDLIFE DURHAM WELCOME | 3

FAQs

VISITOR CENTRES

FINDING THE FAQ’s

VISITING US

Our two visitor centres welcome thousands of people every year. As bases for our conservation and education work, the centres at Low Barns and Rainton Meadows are hives of activity.

LOW BARNS

RAINTON MEADOWS

Witton-le-Wear, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham, DL14 0AG

Chilton Moor, Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne & Wear, DH4 6PU

Tel: 0191 584 3112

Tel: 0191 584 3112

Low Barns nature reserve has been managed by the Wildlife Trust for over 50 years. The centre and offices were created from a series of old farm buildings and are the base for activity in the southern part of the Durham Wildlife Trust area.

Rainton Meadows nature reserve occupies a site that was once the location of both deep and opencast coal mines, but after restoration in the 1990s it is now unrecognisable and provides a haven for wildlife on the edge of Sunderland city.

The visitor centre has a coffee shop, providing visitors with a welcome cuppa, cake or some hot food. Visitors to the centre can also browse our range of shop items, from a full selection of bird food to volunteer made hedgehog homes. Logs and charcoal, produced sustainably by the Trust as part of its woodland management activities, are sold on-site.

Rainton Meadows is Durham Wildlife Trust’s HQ and northern base and has a dedicated classroom for indoor events and an outdoor forest school space. The centre has a WildPlay area for children and the Meadows Coffee Shop, which serves light lunches as well as delicious home baked treats. Visitors are also able to purchase Wildlife Trust gifts, bird food, logs and charcoal and locally sourced products from the Coffee Shop.

The surrounding nature reserve was created from former gravel workings and the whole area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its importance for wildlife. With a rare alder wood, lakes, pasture and beautiful views of the River Wear, Low Barns always has something to see. With flat terrain and accessible bird hides Low Barns is accessible to all.

Set within 74 hectares of lakes, woodlands and grasslands linked through a network of accessible paths and viewing areas, Rainton Meadows has wildlife interest throughout the year. Durham Wildlife Trust members can also buy a key for the bird hide and visitors can also enjoy the adjoining Joe’s Pond nature reserve.

TERRAIN: EASY

NEAREST POSTCODE: DL14 0AG

TERRAIN: EASY

NEAREST POSTCODE: DH4 6PU

SIZE: 46.6 HECTARES

NEAREST TOWN: WITTON-LE-WEAR

SIZE: 74HECTARES

NEAREST TOWN: CHILTON MOOR

OS MAP: 305

GRID REFERENCE: NZ 159 315

OS MAP: 308

GRID REFERENCE: NZ 325 486

HOW TO HIRE A ROOM AT OUR VISITOR CENTRES...

4 | WELCOME WILDLIFE DURHAM

Both visitor centres are recently refurbished and have space available for everything from children’s parties to business meetings, with on site catering and a beautiful nature reserve just outside! We can host shopping events, workshops, craft days, yoga and much more.

To enquire about your meeting or event email bookings@durhamwt.co.uk or call 0191 584 3112.

WHAT BIRD HIDE AND SITE BARRIER KEYS ARE AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS? Members of Durham Wildlife Trust are eligible to purchase a key for the following hides: n Rainton Meadows Members’ Hide. n Gateshead Sites - hides at Shibdon

Pond, Thornley Woodland Centre, Lamesley Pastures.

n Derwent Reservoir Hide

As the hides were installed at different times and are not all owned by Durham Wildlife Trust there are different keys for each hide.

In addition, members are eligible to purchase keys for the barrier at Low Barns, this permits vehicle access outside of usual visiting hours.

HOW CAN I GET INFORMATION ON HOW TO HELP WILDLIFE?

HOW DO I MAKE CHANGES TO MY MEMBERSHIP?

WHAT OFFERS ARE AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS?

You can change your Direct Debit arrangements for membership at any time.

Year round our members can take advantage of 15% discount at Cotswold Outdoor and their partner stores

Move from annual to monthly payments, change the payment date or vary the amount you pay. You can take your donation further and increase your regular gift or take out Life Membership - by doing so you enable the charity to do more for wildlife across the region.

If you move home or need to change your details, call or email right away.

If you have been a member for more than a year, you can also ‘pause’ your membership payments for up to six months.

To discuss any of the above call our membership team on 0191 584 3112 or email membership@durhamwt.co.uk

Simply show your Membership Card in store or use code AF-WILDLIFE-M5 online (code may change, if so there will be an announcement in the Wildlife Durham member’s magazine).

Other offers from Wildlife Trust corporate partners may become available to members and these will be published in Wildlife Durham.

Be sure to get your loyalty card on your next visit to the Meadows and Low Barns coffee shops - the same card can be used at both sites.

Visit the Trust website www.durhamwt.com for advice on a range of topics from how to help hedgehogs to what to do if you find an injured baby bird. As a Member you can get in touch for advice on any wildlife matter - we’ll help if we can! The Trust will also review planning applications raised by members who feel there might be an adverse impact on wildlife.

Simply email mail@durhamwt.co.uk, and the relevant member of staff will be in touch.

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OUR VOLUNTEERS

FEATURED RESERVES

VOLUNTEERING Durham Wildlife Trust relies on volunteers to support us in every aspect of our work. Without volunteers, the Trust would not be able to conserve wildlife, deliver educational events, increase membership, complete survey projects or care for our herd of Exmoor Ponies.

WALK WITH WILDLIFE Here are some ideas for wildlife walks and suggestions for reserves to visit, so you can step out for a wildly different adventure.

With nature reserves across the region, from the Tees to the Tyne, in rural, coastal and urban locations, when it comes to wildlife walks, we have it covered.

But our work for wildlife does not stop at our reserves, we are involved in projects across the whole of the North East to protect and conserve wildlife.

Whether your interests are practical conservation, computing or even knitting there are opportunities for all to give their time to help wildlife.

OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE: SITE WARDEN

YOUNG RANGER (14-18 YEAR OLDS)

TASK FORCE

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

VISITOR WELCOME

PONY WARDEN

EDUCATION ASSISTANT

PROJECT VOLUNTEER

SHIBDON POND FOR URBAN BIRDING

Ph son oto Cred rkin it: Andrew Pa

HANNAH’S MEADOW FOR EARLY SUMMER

Ph oto ry Cred it: Paul Grego

Adjacent to the A1 and just a short way from the Metro Centre, Shibdon Pond is one of the few large open water bodies left in the southern part of Tyne and Wear and a great site for wintering wildfowl.

Best visited in June or early July, a visit to Hannah’s Meadow is a chance to see a traditional hay meadow rich with flowers such as ragged robin, wood crane’s-bill, marsh-marigold, yellow-rattle and rare species such as frog orchid and moonwort.

The pond, probably formed as a result of mining subsidence, is spring fed and fringed with rich aquatic plants, willow and hawthorn scrub, and damp grassland. Large numbers of wetland birds are recorded here including lapwing, golden plover, redshank, snipe, teal as well as water rail, sandpiper and kingfisher.

Sit back and enjoy the sounds of lapwing, skylark, redshank, curlew and meadow pipit, whilst enjoying spectacular views across Baldersdale in the North Pennines.

In summer the site attracts martins, swifts and swallows, and in winter cormorants roost alongside occasional rare visitors such as Iceland gull.

Visit durhamwt.com/nature-reserves for the complete list of reserves, suggested walks and parking information.

PENNINE WAY

RESERVE ENTRANCE

We also regularly recruit for volunteers in roles that support more specific nature conservation activities and campaigns. Take a look at durhamwt.com to see what project roles are on offer.

HIGH BIRK HATT FARM

A1

GET INVOLVED!

To find out more about volunteering visit durhamwt.com, or for a quick chat about what role is right for you call 0191 584 3112 or email volunteer@durhamwt.co.uk

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TO HUNDERTWHAITE

BLAYDON

SHIBDON MEADOW RESERVE ENTRANCE

LOW BIRK HATT FARM BALDERHEAD RESERVOIR

PENNINE WAY BLACKTON RESERVOIR

B6317 TO SWALLWELL

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OUR RESERVES

OUR RESERVES

OUR RESERVES

RESERVES LISTING 1

Addison and Hedgefield

2

Baal Hill Wood

3

Barlow Burn

4

Bishop Middleham Quarry

5

Black Plantation

6

Blackhall Rocks and Cross Gill

7

Burnhope Pond

8

Chopwell Meadows

9

Cross Lane Meadows

This map details the spread of reserves, they vary in shape, size and speciality, together with the Trust’s advocacy work they help to create a wilder, more connected and biodiverse North East.

10

Edmondsley Wood

11

Hannah’s Meadow

12

Hawthorn Dene

13

Hedleyhope Fell

For full details of all of the Trust reserves including directions, suggested walks and what to look out for visit durhamwt.com/nature-reserves

14

Herrington Hill

15

Hesleden Dene

16

High Wood

17

Joe’s Pond

18

Kelloe Field

19

Lamesley Pastures

20

Longburnford Quarry

21

Low Barns

22

Malton

23

Milkwellburn Wood

24

Rabbitbank Wood

25

Ragpath Heath

26

Rainton Meadows

27

Raisby Hill Grassland

28

Redcar Field

29

Shibdon Meadow

30

Shibdon Pond

31

Spen Dene

32

Stanley Moss

33

Town Kelloe Bank

34

Trimdon Grange Quarry

35

Tudhoe Mill Wood

36

Westfield Pasture

37

The Whinnies

38

Ousbrough Wood

Durham Wildlife Trust exists to protect and enhance the natural environment and bring people closer to wildlife.

Our Nature Reserves are critical to this, providing safe havens for wildlife, where people and nature can thrive.

Scan with your smart phone for more information.

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FEATURED RESERVES

FEATURED RESERVES

RAINTON MEADOWS FOR WINTER WADING BIRDS AND YEAR ROUND INTEREST

B1432 TO COLD HESLEDEN

RESERVE ENTRANCE

HAWTHORN VILLAGE

SOUTH HETTON TO FENCEHOUSES

KEY

RESERVE ENTRANCES

B1284 TO RAINTON BRIDGE

EASINGTON

Photo Credit: Robert G Robson DISUSED RAILWAY

JOES POND

RAINTON MEADOWS

Rainton Meadows was created by the restoration of the Rye Hill Opencast coal mine in 1996. Although a relatively new site, Rainton Meadows has developed into a significant area for wildlife over the last 20 years.

The wetlands and grasslands support a wide range of birds (more than 200 species have been recorded). Waders such as redshank, oystercatcher, lapwing are regulars and also more unusual species such as little ringed plover. All five species of UK owl can be seen at different times of the year and there are good numbers of warblers, finches, tits and farmland birds.

Stoat, weasel, brown hare and roe deer are regularly seen and the wetlands attract numerous dragonflies and damselflies.

Butterfly numbers are also high, particularly grassland species.

There is an excellent network of accessible pathways linking viewing areas that look across the lakes and wetlands. In Winter months, the Trust’s own herd of Exmoor ponies graze the site, adding to the interest of a visit to Rainton Meadows.

HAWTHORN DENE FOR SPRING & AUTUMN

LOW BARNS FOR OTTER AND KINGFISHER

Hawthorn Dene is one of the special features of the Durham coast. The dene woodlands along that stretch of coastline, of which Hawthorn Dene is the second largest, were carved by glacial meltwater, creating steep sided ravines where ancient woodlands thrive.

Low Barns is one of the county’s most important sites for wildlife due to the wide range of habitats including wet alder woodland, pasture, open water and the River Wear.

A visit in early spring is rewarded with spectacular displays of snowdrops, with primroses, wood anemones and bluebells to follow. With swathes of wild garlic Hawthorn Dene in spring is a delight for the nose as well as the eyes and you’ll also spot violets and some early orchids on the meadow.

As you wander through the Dene listen out for the drumming of woodpeckers and the calls of woodland birds and stay on the lookout for roe deer glimpsed through the trees.

Hawthorn Dene in autumn gives a wonderful display of colours and fungi and a sunny autumn day is just the time to walk through the dene to the beach at Hawthorn Hive. There are some steep steps up and down through the Dene but the rewards are certainly worth the effort.

The lakes and open water support good numbers of wildfowl, including overwintering bittern, which, if you are lucky, can be seen from one of the many accessible hides on site. Sit quietly in the hide, or on the banks of the river Wear, and you’ll have a chance to see kingfishers and the bird feeding stations give a chance to get close up views of great spotted woodpecker, tree creeper and nuthatch.

Patient visitors may also be rewarded by sightings of otter, fox, roe deer and stoat. Plant life is extremely rich too and as a result there are good numbers of butterflies on site.

The reserve, a great place to visit at any time of year, has flat terrain and a network of surfaced pathways linking the bird hides allowing easy access for all visitors. Don’t forget to visit the Low Barns coffee shop.

RESERVE ENTRANCE TO WITTONLE-WEAR

LOW LANE

TO HIGH GRANGE

WEARDALE RAILWAY

The sites featured are highlights from the Trust’s portfolio of 38 nature reserves spread from the Tees to the Tyne. For a full list of sites and further information please visit www.durhamwt.com.

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PROJECTS

PEOPLE & WILDLIFE

PEOPLE & WILDLIFE The Trust believes in bringing people closer to nature and provides learning opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.

EVENTS

From Muddy Welly Toddles at Low Barns to Bird Identification in the Derwent Valley, the Trust has and will continue to deliver a vast range of events designed to engage, educate and inspire. Many events are free for members or carry a small charge. To view our event line up visit www.durhamwt.com/events.

WILDLIFE WATCH

The nature club for children, activities are aimed at ages 5-11 but all ages are welcome. There are a number of Watch clubs within the Trust area including clubs that run from the Trust’s Visitor Centres at Low Barns and Rainton Meadows. To find out about upcoming Watch activities (usually monthly) visit www.durhamwt.com/events.

OUR PROJECTS Each year the Trust works with a wide range of organisations to conserve wildlife beyond its nature reserves. Through projects large and small, Durham Wildlife Trust is working to restore nature across the North East, creating a place where wildlife thrives and people are closer to nature.

Photo Credit: Terry Whittaker

YOUNG RANGERS

The Trust’s Young Rangers programme takes on 14-18 year olds looking to learn skills in nature conservation and wildlife surveying.

Email education@durhamwt.co.uk to find out more about joining Young Rangers.

Below is an overview of some of our current projects. Visit www.durhamwt.com/projects for more information.

LOCAL WILDLIFE AND SPECIALIST INTEREST GROUPS

Durham Wildlife Trust members’ groups are made up of like-minded people who share a passion for the area in which they live and a desire to increase their own wildlife knowledge. From botany to wildlife in your local patch, find out about a group for you at www.durhamwt.com/ local-wildlife-groups.

SCHOOLS AND BEYOND

The Trust offers educational sessions at both its nature reserves and through outreach in the community, so there are activities available to suit every school, youth group or cub pack, as well as a range of resources for use before and after an outdoor session.

Contact the Durham Wildlife Trust education team on education@durhamwt.co.uk and get connected to the curriculum and to nature.

Photo Credit: Tom Marshall

BRIGHTWATER

Led by Durham Wildlife Trust, the Discover Brightwater Landscape Partnership Scheme is a National Lottery Heritage Fund supported project that aims to reveal, restore and celebrate the heritage of the Brightwater area - the catchment of the River Skerne. This includes its built, natural and cultural heritage and there are projects underway from Hurworth Burn Reservoir to Fishburn, Bishop Middleham, Sedgefield, Newton Aycliffe and down to Darlington.

Discover Brightwater at www.discoverbrightwater.com and see how you can get involved.

SEASCAPES

SeaScapes is the first ever National Lottery Landscape Partnership Scheme focused on the marine environment. This concept, developed by Durham Wildlife Trust and hosted by Durham Heritage Coast, celebrates the unique geology and rich maritime heritage of the Durham coast.

Though much of this heritage is out of sight, held only in memory or hidden beneath the waves, it is just waiting to be discovered.

Through multiple projects, the SeaScapes scheme will improve access to beaches, explore the shipwrecks and habitats beneath the waves, tackle marine litter and create opportunities for local people and visitors to enjoy being on (and in!) the sea.

NATURALLY NATIVE

Water voles were once a common sight across the country, but sadly today they are one of Britain’s most threatened mammal species and are at risk of extinction.

Thanks to players of the National Lottery, Durham Wildlife Trust has developed a strategy for the recovery of water vole populations across the region and is working with Northumberland and Tees Valley Wildlife Trusts to halt the decline of water voles and restore populations across the whole of the North East.

Follow our progress at www.durhamwt.com/projects

Find out more about SeaScapes at www.durhamwt.com/projects 12 | WELCOME WILDLIFE DURHAM

WILDLIFE DURHAM WELCOME | 13

FUNDRASING

NATIONAL IMPACT

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Durham Wildlife Trust is one of 46 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney.

TAKE PART IN A WILD CHALLENGE

There are lots of ways you can get involved and help to raise much needed funds to grow our work for wildlife even further.

The Great North Run is one of the biggest fundraising events of the year for Durham Wildlife Trust, each year the Trust enters runners and those with ballot places too will choose to run wild and raise funds for Durham Wildlife Trust. If running is your bag then the Trust also hosts its own fun runs each year, smaller in distance but bigger in wildness!

REGISTER YOUR OWN CHALLENGE WITH US

We need nature and it needs us. We’re here to make the world wilder and make nature part of life, for everyone. We’re helping to make life better – for wildlife, for people and for future generations. The Wildlife Trusts’ work on land takes us from hidden valleys to city streets. For more than a century we have been saving and protecting wild places.

103,543ha

229,154ha

HOST A SHIN-DIG

8,700ha

Area of land in our Biodiversity Benchmark Scheme

13,309ha

8,358km

9,775km

55,030km2

Special Area of Conservation to protect harbour porpoise:

SHOP WILD

From tote bags to bug boxes, we have a selection of seasonal goodies at Rainton Meadows and Low Barns Visitor Centres and a wide range of wild products on our online shop. Give the gift of wildlife or just treat yourself durhamwt.com/shop.

Find out more about fundraising, let us know what you’re up to and request our free fundraising pack by contacting mail@durhamwt.co.uk

2,300

NATURE RESERVES

850,000

MEMBERS

38,000

VOLUNTEERS *figures as published in TWT Impact Report 2020

The figures below represent the land areas Wildlife Trusts directly impact through management and the giving of advice to other landowners.*

Do something wildly different to help support Durham Wildlife Trust, whether it’s a David Attenborough marathon, a big toddle somewhere wild or a big beach clean, you can do just about anything wild, donate and encourage others to sponsor you too. Most importantly have fun, do something you love (or try something new!) for a cause you care about.

Organise a fundraising get together with friends or your community in support of Durham Wildlife Trust, from a coffee morning to an office dress down day, just about anything can raise funds and support for Durham Wildlife Trust.

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Together, The Wildlife Trusts are the UK’s largest peoplepowered environmental organisation working for nature’s recovery on land and at sea.

By supporting Durham Wildlife Trust, you’re part of something bigger.

Area of land in our nature reserves:

Length of watercourses managed

Area of land we provided advice on:

Area of land protected by influencing planning decisions

Length of watercourses Trusts provided advice on

The Wildlife Trusts have an even bigger impact on land and at sea by influencing national policy, including campaigning for new Marine Conservation Zones and leading on the establishment of a Nature Recovery Network.

Together The Wildlife Trusts care for 2,300 diverse and beautiful nature reserves where wildlife is protected and wild plants and animals thrive. These include ancient woodlands, lakes, meadows, stretches of river, urban parks, hills, heather-clad heathlands, marshes and coastal habitats. Nearly all of our nature reserves are free to enter and nearly all have public access to parts of the site.

Nature reserves are vital havens for wildlife. Creating and looking after them is only made possible by your generous support. Thank you.

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FOR YOU, FOR WILDLIFE, FOR THE FUTURE Imagine leaving a gift that could truly last for generations, a gift that means your generosity can allow others to enjoy local wildlife and wild places for the future - just like you do now.

Leaving a legacy in your Will to Durham Wildlife Trust could make that difference

Every single gift in your Will, however large or small, counts. At Durham Wildlife Trust we’ve been dedicated to looking after wildlife locally for more than 50 years, so you can be sure that every penny you choose to leave in our care will be well invested in future wildlife conservation.

To talk to someone in confidence about leaving a gift in your Will to Durham Wildlife Trust, please call 0191 584 3112 or email fundraising@durhamwt.co.uk

A gift of £500 could pay for a recycled plastic Otter holt to be installed on a wetland or river bank site.

A gift of £1000 would look after 20 acres of Durham Wildlife Trust woodland for a year.

A gift of £5,000 is enough to maintain our Kittiwake Cam on the Baltic for a year.

A gift of £10,000 or more could fund the purchase and restoration of a hectare or more of land for wildlife habitat – potentially creating a new Durham Wildlife Trust nature reserve.