Dozens of local children have joined members of local charities and community groups in helping to create a new 18-hectare woodland on the site of a former County Durham surface mine.
North East employer Banks Mining enhanced the original restoration plan for its former Bradley surface mine site, which sits between Leadgate and Dipton, to include the planting of 36,000 new trees and shrubs on the site.
To help increase the community’s involvement with the project, which covers part of an area that can be accessed by the public via the footpaths provided, the family firm invited a range of groups and organisations to take part in a week-long series of planting sessions at the site.
More than 170 children from Leadgate Primary School, Collierley Primary School in Dipton, Bishop Ian Ramsey School Primary School in Medomsley, Our Lady & St Joseph’s Primary School in Brooms and St Patricks Primary School in Dipton have been planting trees that will now grow as they themselves grow up.
Teams from Random’s Retreat CIC, Building Self Belief CIC and the Leadgate Health Walkers Group have also been getting their hands dirty, along with a number of local residents.
Over 2,000 trees were planted in total through the week, with sustainable forest and woodland management company Tilhill Forestry now continuing with the woodland planting, which is expected to be completed by the end of March.
Christine Thomas, CEO of Consett-based Building Self Belief CIO, which works to build stronger communities by building self-belief in vulnerable young people across the region, says: “We run a range of environmental projects and also have our own community garden, so the woodland planting was something that our team was really keen to get involved with.
“Helping to create a long-term legacy by being part of the regeneration of this site is really important to us and we’re excited to see how the woodland matures in the future.”
Mandy Kelly, founder of Medomsley-based outdoor learning and well-being centre Random’s Retreat, adds: “We’ve done lots of rewilding and planting work on our own site, and find that that the service users who carry out this work get a real sense of ownership, belonging and achievement from what they’ve created.“
The woodland project has been brought forward with the support of the Bradley Liaison Committee, which is chaired by Cllr Alan Shields and made up of members of Durham County Council, local groups and residents, and of the England Woodland Creation Offer administered by the Forestry Commission.
Around 93% of the trees in the new woodland will be broadleaf trees, with species including pedunculate oak, sessile oak, hazel, cherry, crab apple, silver and downy birch.
New footpaths, which will run alongside the others across the site that have been reinstated as part of its restoration, are also being created to maximise public access to the site.
Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, says:
“The help we’ve had from local volunteers of all ages in starting to create this valuable new community asset has been fantastic and it’s been great to see how enthusiastic everyone has been about getting involved.
“Planting this new woodland will enhance the long-term biodiversity benefits we can provide and will bring additional wildlife habitats to the site while also providing more opportunities for local people to enjoy it for leisure purposes.
“We’re very grateful to the Bradley Liaison Committee, Durham County Council, Tilhill Forestry and the Forestry Commission for their support in bringing these plans to fruition, and excited to now be seeing the new woodland beginning to take shape.”
Forestry Commission Yorkshire and North East Area Director Crispin Thorn
adds: "This is a fantastic example of how communities can come together to create lasting green spaces that will benefit both people and wildlife.
"The creation of this new woodland is a welcome addition to woodland cover in the North East Community Forest and will play a vital role in supporting biodiversity and capturing carbon whilst also providing a space for local residents to enjoy.
"We're proud to support initiatives like this through the England Woodland Creation Offer and look forward to seeing the positive impact this woodland will have on local communities."
