the tees corridor - tees valley wildlife trust corridor 12pg a4.pdf · 2018. 4. 16. · the origins...

TEES VALLEYThe Tees Corridor

Protecting Wildlife for the Future

C O M M U N I T Y

E D U C A T I O N

W I L D L I F E

V O L U N T E E R I N G

The work of the Tees CorridorProjects


Welcome to ‘Inside The TeesCorridor’, this magazine shows thework of the Tees Corridor NaturalRegeneration Projects managed bythe Tees Valley Wildlife Trust. Withthe help of partner organisations,the projects aimed to bringimprovements to the Tees Corridorfor its wildlife and people.

WelcomeWhat is the Tees Corridor?

The Tees Corridor Projects focused on the section of the River Tees fromBowesfield (Stockton-on-Tees) to the Transporter Bridge (Middlesbrough). Theimage of Teesside has completely changed greatly over the years. With thedecline of heavy industries, much of the land has been redeveloped for newbusinesses, public recreation and leisure. Throughout the Tees Corridor wildlifehas returned and now thrives, with the core of the corridor now being activelymanaged to benefit wildlife.

The origins of the River Tees are found at Cross Fell in the North Pennines,760m above sea level. The river flows 160km through the Tees Valleybefore meeting the North Sea, and collects water from a drainage basin of1930 square kilometres.

The towns of Stockton-on-Tees and Middlesbrough developed as busyports and a producer of iron and steel that was exported across the world.Heavy industries once dominated the area, but over time have all butdisappeared.

Thornaby

NortonGrange

Newport

WhinneyBanks

Bowesfield

PrimroseHill

Portrack &Tilery

Middlesbrough

A19

A19

A66

A66

A66

Stockton

Lustrum Beck

Portrack Marsh

Maze Park

Natural RegenerationThe Tees Corridor Natural RegenerationProjects showed that creating a thrivingnatural environment can play a verypowerful part in the restoration of theeconomic and social life of a blightedarea.

Land along the Tees between Stocktonand Middlesbrough probably suffered mostfrom the negative effects of past industryand its subsequent decline. Acres ofdespoiled ground, rubble and litter lent theplace a heavy air. At one stage even the riverwas dead; a fish trawl in the early 1980’sbetween the Newport and TransporterBridges found that a single, diseasedflounder was its only inhabitant.

The Tees Corridor Natural RegenerationProjects channelled the enthusiasm of localcommunities and businesses to dig ponds,plant trees and sow wildflowers, and theyhad to go on to construct paths, boardwalksand viewpoints, because people wanted tocome and enjoy the results.

It might have been hard to market therevitalised Tees Corridor, to persuadepeople, especially from outside the region,that the area’s fortunes had turned. Butonce again nature intervened; there can beno more convincing a sign of the Corridor’srecovery than the appearance of seals andotter on this stretch of the river.

Jeremy GarsideChief Executive


History ofThe Tees Corridor

Short timescaleof the

Tees Corridor

The underlying geology of the TeesCorridor is split between solid rock anda thin covering of clays, mud and silt.The solid rock dates back to the Triassicperiod approximately 220 million yearsago. During this period the climate wasextremely hot and dry, similar in climaticconditions to modern day Tunisia. Thearea was close to a shallow sea. Flashfloods washed eroded sediments downonto the flat coastal plain and thesewere deposited as sandstones andmudstones. Moving forward 20 millionyears into the Jurassic period the sealevel rose; covering the sandstones andmudstones with a massive tropicalocean. So began the time of thedinosaurs.

Eventually the Triassic sandstones andmudstones were buried under 100s ofmetres of Jurassic rock. They havebecome exposed today due to thetremendous eroding ability of ice. Only

10,000 years ago we were in the grip ofan ice age, massive glaciers travellingfrom the Lake District and the Cheviotscut their way down the Tees Valley. Asthese glaciers travelled they scrapedagainst the exposed bedrock and erodedaway all of the Jurassic rock where theRiver Tees flows today. As the climatewarmed the glaciers started to melt andmassive amounts of boulders, sand,mud and more importantly clay werereleased from the melting ice.

The glaciers retreated up the valleyback to the Lake District. As they meltedraging torrents of melt-water gushed outinto the icy sea. Eventually the ice hadcompletely melted and the flow reducedto a steady one, dependant on rainwaterrather than the melting ice. Thisdeveloped into the River Tees we seetoday, it being only approximately 8,000years old.

The natural meanders of the River Teeswere a great drawback for the port ofStockton in the 18th Century. In 1791 aproposal was made to construct a "cut"across the meander of the river atMandale near Stockton. The first cut (orMandale Cut) was completed on the18th September 1810, the 220 yard cuta distance of 21/2 miles.

In 1830, the second cut (or PortrackCut) was completed, covering 1,100yards cutting across the meander atPortrack, stretching from Blue HousePoint to Newport.

Barges could now sail quicker up theTees and into Stockton, saving a weeksworth of time and costs, thanks to thetwo cuts.

The former line of the Old River Teescan still be traced in the Tees Corridortoday, with a section of the old river(still under tidal influences) flowing pastMaze Park and up around TeessidePark.

Human activities have not justaffected the physical appearance of theRiver Tees. Prior to 1926 the River Tees

was noted for its catches of salmon, seatrout, flounder, and eels; but by 1937salmon had been eliminated from theriver as a result of pollution dischargedby the industries on Teesside into theriver.

By 1970 the River Tees wasconsidered the most polluted estuary inthe United Kingdom with over 500tonnes of waste being discharged intothe river each day. The volume of wastebeing discharged into the river resultedin a rise in the river water temperatureand a decrease in the dissolved oxygenin the water. These changes in waterconditions led to a decline in thewildlife that could survive along theriver.

In 1972, plans were drawn up tobegin to tackle the pollution problemfaced by the River Tees. With thegradual decline in heavy industries andthe tightening of discharge permits intothe river the pollution content of theriver began to decline.

A very brief overview of some ofthe main events that created theTees Corridor

■ Estuary deposits began afterthe last glaciation, 10,000 yearsago

■ 1810 & 1830 - Mandale andPortrack cuts to straighten theRiver Tees

■ 1825 - George StephensonStockton to Darlington Railwayline

■ 1850's - 1920's - iron & steelindustry

■ 1926 - ICI founded atBillingham, movement of heavyindustry

■ 1934 - Newport Bridge opened

■ 1975 - A19 flyover opened

■ 1976 - 1998 - PortrackIncinerator

■ 1987 - Margaret Thatcher's'walk in the wilderness'

■ 1995 - Tees Barrage finished

■ 2001 - Tees CorridorEnvironmental Strategy

A little bit more....The name Portrack comes from theprocess by which barges used tonavigate the meanders in the RiverTees prior to the "cuts" beingfinished. They were lead around thebends by a horse or men fastened tothe front of the barges. This processwas known as racking.

CHANGES IN THE RIVER

SETTING THE STONES Geological formation of the River Tees


In 2000 Middlesbrough &Stockton Councils commissionedthe consultant Casella to producethe Tees Corridor EnvironmentalStrategy, which looked at wayskey sites in the Tees Corridorcould be developed in the future.

In 2001 the Tees Valley WildlifeTrust, funded by the CountrysideAgency and Heritage Lottery Fund,carried out the Tees CorridorNatural Links Project, a 6-monthpilot project to engage localcommunities close to the RiverTees in environmental topics.

Following the success of the pilotprojects, the Tees Valley WildlifeTrust secured funding from: ■ Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, ■ Tees Valley Partnership, through

One North East;■ the Big Lottery Fund■ the Social, Economic and

Environmental Development(SEED) Programme

to run two projects: the TeesCorridor Wardens and TeesCorridor Natural Regeneration

A brief projecthistory

Tees Corridor NaturalRegeneration Project

Project Officer: Jonathan Pounder

This 3 year project had 4 main focus areas:

■ Wildlife Conserving the wildlife and habitats of theTees Corridor through managing Tees Valley WildlifeTrust nature reserves and other wildlife sites.Promoting opportunities to see the wildlife of thearea, and educating the public about what they couldsee. Performing relevant survey work. Working withvolunteer groups to carry out survey work, linkinginto the Tees Valley Biodiversity Action Plan.

■ Community Working with community groups inthe Tees Corridor to bring benefits to their local areas. Work included attendingresidents meetings, offering advice and project guidance and assisting groups inimplementing projects.

■ Education Working with a range of educational establishments at all levels tobring environmental topics into learning. Conservation is also a good link intocitizenship studies, and this has been developed into bringing groups out of theclassroom environment to carry out small practical projects.

A programme of public events and guided walks was also organised covering agreat range of subject areas and interests.

■ Volunteering Working to provide opportunities for the people of the TeesValley to carry out practical conservation tasks to assist with the work of the TeesValley Wildlife Trust, and make a difference to their local areas. One of the majorsuccesses of the project was to establish the Wednesday Wild-bunch VolunteerGroup to carry out tasks on sites within the Tees Corridor.

Tees CorridorWardens An active presence along theriverside, Tees Corridor Warden,John Amos, carried out surveywork and small practicalimprovement work in the TeesCorridor. Accompanying himwere the Tees CorridorAssistants, a series of a 6-month paid training placementsfor local people to gain workexperience and qualificationsleading towards employment inthe field of conservation.During the project 5 assistants worked with the Tees Corridor Warden with eachassistant successfully moving into paid employment after completing theirplacements.

Warden: John Amos


The bridges that cross the River Teesare each impressive structures in theirown right, but together make the TeesCorridor special.Transporter Bridge (Top right)A bill from Parliament was passed in1906 for the construction of theTransporter Bridge, at a cost of £68,026.The bridge was designed andconstructed by the Cleveland Bridgeand Engineering Company ofDarlington, and was opened on the 17thOctober 1911 by Prince Arthur ofConnaught. Forming an impressive entrance intoMiddlesbrough, the bridge was the ideaof Alderman McLaughlin, and allowedpassage over the river withoutrestricting movement of ships up theRiver Tees. The cradle of the TransporterBridge links Port Clarence to thesouthern shores of the River Tees.

Newport BridgeConstruction of Newport Bridge beganin 1931 after 10 years of discussions.The bridge was opened on the 28February 1934 by the Duke andDuchess of York, a short 19 monthsafter its start date and at a cost of£436,913. Newport Bridge was built toimprove links between Stockton andMiddlesbrough, and was constructedby Dorman Long, the same companythat made the Tyne and SydneyHarbour Bridges.Newport Bridge was Britain’s firstvertical lift bridge. The design of thebridge allowed the central span to beraised up 90 feet, giving a clearance of120 feet to allow the passage of shipsfurther upstream. Spanning 250 feetacross the River Tees and towering 170feet into the Teesside skyline, thebridge took only seven minutes to liftand lower the 2,700-ton span.The mechanical lifting structure of the

bridge was raised and lowered for thelast time on the 18th November 1990when it was fixed into position, as largeships no longer travelled so farupstream on the Tees.

Billingham Branch BridgeAt the same time as Newport Bridgewas being built, a second bridge wasneeded to carry the NewportApproach Road across the railwaybetween Billingham Beck and Portrack.The Billingham Branch Bridge was theUK's first all-welded steel bridge.Although the railway line has nowdisappeared, the 5 spans of theBillingham Branch Bridge allowswalkers to safely cross under the A1032and continue up towards BillinghamBeck and Newport Paths.

Tees FlyoverThe Tees Viaduct or 'flyover' opened inNovember 1975 to carry the A19 overthe River Tees betweenMiddlesbrough and Stockton, formingthe main transport route throughTeesside.

Tees BarrageWork started on the Tees Barrage onthe 4th November 1991. This was thebrainchild of the Teesside DevelopmentCorporation. Completed on the 22ndApril 1995 the Barrage represented thesingle largest engineering project inBritain, at that time; and cost£50,000,000. Since April 2000 the TeesBarrage has been managed by BritishWaterways.The Tees Barrage acts as a physicalbarrier to the tidal movements of theRiver Tees. Upstream of the barrage a22km stretch of clean freshwater fromWorsall (near Yarm) to Stockton hasbeen created, which is held at aconstant controlled level, opening upopportunities for waterborne recreationsuch as canoeing and white waterrafting.Downstream the river still undergoesits tidal rhythm, but the saltwater doesnot travel any further up the river.Water conditions have also improvedleading to the return of salmon (andmany other fish) to the river. The TeesBarrage also possesses its own fishladder to allow fish to pass over thebarrage and continue on their journey.The fish also attract predators to thebarrage including a family of seals,kingfisher, otter, and even harbourporpoise.Technical Information■ Bridge Length: 70m■ Road Bridge Length: 160m■ 4 fishbelly gates (8m high x 13.Sm

wide), each with a 21 tonnehydraulic ram

■ 4 monitoring stations along the river,constantly monitoring water levelsallowing levels to be maintained

■ Maintains a water height differenceof 2.65m between each side of thebarrage

Bridges inThe Tees Corridor

Thornaby

Roseworth

Hardwick NortonGrange

Bowesfield

Norton

PrimroseHill

Portrack &Tilery

Bi

A19

A6

A66

Stockton

Lustrum B

In The Tees CorridorGravel HoleOnce a former sand andgravel pit, the past history ofthe site has now meant it isa haven for wildflowerspecies such as CommonSpotted Orchid, Yellow Rattleand Ox Eye Daisy that thrivein the nutrient poor soil. TheTVWT actively manages thegrasslands to keep the soil nutrients to aminimum, and so ensure the survival of the plantspecies. In turn the wildflower grasslandsupports 10 different types of butterfly and avariety of other insects, a host of birds (such asWhitethroat, Yellowhammers, and Fieldfare) andmammals (such as Bank Vole and Fox).

BowesfieldA Tees Valley Wildlife TrustNature Reserve,Bowesfield sits on 3 bendsin the River Tees.Containing large wetlandareas, Bowesfield supportsthousands of birds over thewinter months, whilst RoeDeer graze in thegrassland, Harvest Micemake their nests andOtters swim along the river.

Billingham Beck Valley

With its colourful meadows, ponds, marsh andwoodland, Billingham Beck Valley Country Parkis one of Stockton Borough Council’s mostinteresting areas of countryside. This wetlandprovides a home for plants and animals, whichare beginning to disappear from ourcountryside, as wetlands are being drained.Designated as a Local Nature Reserve in 1992,this valuable pocket of countryside has beenpreserved as a haven for wildlife.

An urban greenspace inWest Middlesbrough,Whinney BanksGreenspace is an 8 hectaresite sandwiched betweenthe Whinney Banks housingestate and the A19. Overrecent years the area hasbeen transformed from anarea of amenity grasslandto a community greenspacefor local people, recreationand wildlife. The site ishome to species such asgrey partridge, and watervole.

■ Transporter BridgeCradle bridge across the Tees

■ Newport BridgeThe first vertical lift bridge in Britain

■ Billingham Branch BridgeThe first all-welded bridge in Britain

■ Tees FlyoverMain transport route across the Tees

■ Tees BarrageHeadquarters of British Waterways

■ Portrack MarshTVWT wetland nature reserve

■ Maze ParkTVWT grassland nature reserve

■ Portrack MeadowsRising from the ashes of industry

Whinney Banks

Gravel Hole

Bowesfield

BillinghamBeck Valley

St Hilda's

Newport NorthOrmesby

WhinneyBanks

Billingham

Middlesbrough

A19

A66

A66

A19

Beck

Portrack Marsh

Maze Park


■ Newport PathsA circular link by Billingham Beck

■ Roscoe Road, BillinghamCommunity greenspace project

■ Hardwick DeneNatural habitats in an urban setting

■ Dorman’s PoolBird watchers paradise in Teesside

■ Tees View PointGreat views of the River Tees

■ Charlton’s PondWildlife haven in Billingham

■ South West IronmastersEvidence of industrial heritage

■ Tilery ParkA community greenspace

A new Nature Reserve underdevelopment by the RSPB andTeesside Environment Trust.Situated in the area behind PortClarence, the site is internationallyimportant for migrating birds.Work has already started to createlarge areas of reedbed andwetland, 12,000 trees have beenplanted on the site. Future plansinclude creating a visitor’s centreand further landscape improve-ments that will attract speciessuch as Marsh Harrier, Avocet andBittern into the Tees Valley

Situated in the Clarence’s, thecommunity farm offers theopportunity for people todiscover the sights, soundsand smells of the countryside.The Clarence’s farm has all theanimals you would expect tofind on a farm including cows,sheep, goats, chickens, geeseand small animals. This allowsvisitors to get close to farmanimals they might only see inbooks or on television.

A footpath link that has beencreated between the PortrackRiverside, Billingham BeckValley and Gravel Hole NatureReserve. This footpath link runsparallel to the A19 taking in thereedbeds and wetlands of thearea, allowing visitor toexperience both areas.

Teessaurus ParkOpened in 1982, TeessaurusPark sits in the heart ofMiddlehaven, backing onto theRiver Tees. Built on a formerslagheap, the site is home tolarge dinosaur sculptures builtby engineering apprentices.Sculptures include Triceratops,Mammoth and TyrannosaurusRex, and will catch theimagination of any visitingchildren.

Portrack - Billingham

Clarences Farm

Saltholme TINR

TeessaurusPark

Saltholme TNR

Clarences Farm

WhinneyBanks

Portrack -Billingham

The Portrack MunicipalIncinerator opened in1975 and burnt domesticwaste from the four localauthorities:Middlesbrough, Stockton,Redcar & Cleveland andHartlepool. Around200,000 tonnes of wastewas burnt per annumand generated electricity.Situated between theNewport Approach Roadand the Tees Flyover thetowers of the incinerator were visibleacross Teesside.

Closed in November 1996 after itfailed to meet new emissionregulations, the site was subsequentlydemolished and cleared. Between 1998and 2000, the northern area of the sitewas the temporary home for theStockton civic amenity site, whichclosed in December 2001.

With the closure of the civic amenitysite and a new 'Energy from Waste'plant opening in Haverton Hill, apartnership between Stockton BoroughCouncil and the Tees Valley WildlifeTrust began to transform the site intoan area for recreation and wildlife forthe people of Stockton andMiddlesbrough to enjoy.

The site represents an important linkto the Tees Corridor creating a greenwedge along both sides of the RiverTees that is open to the public butmanaged to benefit the wildlife of thearea.Wildflower MeadowIn the centre of the site the concretefootings of the incinerator buildingremains. The footings have beencovered, landscaped and sown as awildflower meadow, not just making itattractive but creating an area wherebutterflies (such as the Grayling andDingy Skipper) and other insects canfeed.Wetland ManagementLustrum Beck Ponds is a small wetlandarea sandwiched between the A19,Lustrum Beck, and Portrack Meadows.The wetland area acts as an overflowfor the Lustrum Beck Tidal Defencesystem, and as a result the area isflooded on a regular basis.

Lustrum Beck flows through the

heart of Stockton-on-Tees.As a result it carries a lotof sediment which isdeposited in the areaaround the tidal defencebarrier and in LustrumBeck pond. This gradualsilting will lead to theultimate loss of thewetland area.

As part of thedevelopment work thewhole area was dredgedto remove the silt build

up. In specific areas phragmites reedswere planted, but the rest of thevegetation was allowed to re-colonisenaturally.Tree ManagementTrees were originally planted on thesite to screen the incinerator buildingfrom the roads, but after their plantingreceived little or no management. Aspart of the site development work thetrees were extensively thinned andpollarded to create a more naturalwoodland and promote thedevelopment of ground flora.

Across the site further treeblocks and hedgerowshave been planted byvolunteers and localschool children fromStockton. Over 100 birdboxes have beenconstructed anderected across the site.FootpathConstructionA circular footpath hasbeen created to allowvisitors to safely accessthe site. A boardwalk hasalso been built to allowpeople to cross thedamper areas. All of thefootpaths on the site linkinto the Tees Corridor.Interpretation &SignpostingTo guide visitors aroundthe site a series of signpostsand interpretation panelshave been erected showingdirections and links to othersites, and information on someof the history and wildlife found inthe area.

NewportPaths

LUSTRUMBECKPOND

A1032

Riv

er

Tees

Dis

used

min

era

l ra

ilw

ay lin

e

Billin

gham

Beck

A1032 NEWPORT APPROACH ROAD

A19

TEES

FLYOVER

Portrack Meadows- from the ashes...

A circular link path around Newport Tip,Newport Paths is a fabulous addition tothe Tees Corridor. The surfacedfootpath winds its way through the treescreen of the site, close to the mouth ofBillingham Beck. Five viewing pointsallow visitors to get close to the wildlifethat follows the tidal movements of thewater, including a familyof seals that hauls outregularly on thebeck mouth afterfeeding at the TeesBarrage.



Portrack MarshMuch of the original marshland was destroyedwhen the River Tees was straightened in the1800’s, and Portrack Marsh as it stands todaywas created. Portrack Marsh is the largestremaining wetland area on the lower River Tees.Managed by the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust andNorthumbrian Water the large bodies of openwater, surrounding reedbed and wet grasslandsprovide the ideal habitat for animals such asherons and harvest mice. These also act as animportant resting point for migrating birds.TVWT volunteers have worked tirelessly to openup and improve the area for visitors. Footpathsand boardwalks have been created along theouter edge of the site to allow visitors to look atthe area from every angle, whilst the centre of the site remainsundisturbed. The site has a bird hide, interpretation panels,seating and a dipping platform for visiting educational groups.Work on the habitats for wildlife has included creating largeareas of reedbed and scrub, a gravel beach, featured ditchesand scrapes. Rough grassland has been managed tomaximise its potential for the wildlife of the area.

Maze ParkSituated on the southern banks of theRiver Tees, the three large moundsmake Maze Park highly visible. Themounds were created from spoil from theTeesdale Development on the corner of theMarshalling Yards. Since 1998 the TVWT havemanaged the site as a grassland nature reserve that aims tobring people and wildlife together. Each of the 3 mounds hasits own vegetation community representing their different soilproperties, which in turn supports a myriad of wildlife speciesincluding the Grayling butterfly, fox, sand martins, goldfinchand skylark.

Viewing points allow visitors to lookonto the River Tees, with butterflysculptures providing opportunitiesfor cyclists to lock their bikes upand explore the site before carryingon their journey along the RouteOne National Cycle Way. An artisticviewing station at the top of thelargest of the 3 mounds offers aspectacular view across the TeesValley and beyond.

TVWT Nature Reserveson the River Tees

River Tees

Thornaby Marshalling

Yards

Viewing Point

Interpretation

Scrub

New tree planting

Footpath

Mound Way marked/proposed footpath

New wildflowermeadow

Marsh/occasionalpools

Tees

Bar

rage

Industrialwildflower grassland

Cycleway &Footpath

A66

TOSTOCKTON

Whitewater Course

P

P

DarterPonds

River Tees

MallardWater

TealLake

WestWaterHeron's

Haunt

Viewing Platform

Information Panel

Scrape

Scrub

Reedbed

Seating

Parking

Tees BarrageWhite Water

Course

TheTalpore

ShipTurning Circle

Northumbrian WaterTreatment Compound

Boardwalk

Former Portrack Railway Line

DippingPlatform

BirdIsland

Steps

Marston Road

WillowPond


PANDA 2004

The People And Nature DevelopmentAwards (PANDAs) were a celebration ofcommunity environmental projects inthe Tees Valley. Sponsored in 2004 bynpower, the awards aimed to showcaseexamples of what has been done bygroups in the Tees Valley in order tostimulate further work by likemindedgroups. The awards were presented bythe Mayor of Stockton at an eveningceremony held at Kirkleatham Old Hall.

Tree Planting on Saltholme

During the winter of 2003/ 04 over12,000 trees were planted acrossSaltholme Nature Reserve by TVWTvolunteer groups, NACROMiddlesbrough, and employeevolunteer work groups. Children fromthe nearby High Clarence PrimarySchool also came out to get involvedwith the work, taking a morning out oftheir lessons to brave the winter chillsand help with the planting.

Caterpillars & Butterflies

Visitors to the Tees Corridor may havenoticed the start of an invasion of giantmetal insects in the area with thecreation of the caterpillar barrier on thePortrack railway line, and the butterflycycle racks on Maze Park. Designed bylocal artist Andrew McKeown, with thehelp of local school children, thefeatures were installed by Trustvolunteers.

Macmillan College TreePlanting Children from Macmillan College havebeen involved in a project to improvetheir college grounds. In February 2004,as part of their citizenship studieschildren from years 7, 8 and 9 spent anhour planting trees and a hedgerowaround the perimeter of the school. Thework was carried out in partnershipwith the REACT project.

Traditional WoodlandManagementAs part of the tree work on PortrackMeadows some felled trees wereremoved in the traditional mannerusing a horse. Children from Oak TreePrimary School were able to watch ahorse called Foster work as theyplanted trees in another area of the site.

Hallgarth Citizenship

As part of their Citizenship Week,children from Hallgarth School gotinvolved with practical work in the TeesCorridor, including constructing ariverside footpath and cleaning up theirmemorial garden.

Portrack Marsh ReedbedTo improve the reedbed areas onPortrack Marsh, volunteers from TVWTplanted a new phragmites reedbed atthe northern edge of West Water.

Seals and OttersDiscovering seals hauling themselvesout at Newport Paths during thecreation of the link footpath, and theconfirmation of otter activity in thecentre of Stockton has shown howmuch the quality of the River Tees hasimproved.

Roscoe Road Clean Up

Working with Tees Valley Housing andlocal residents to develop a small areaof land off Roscoe Road in Billingham.Local people helped with a clean upday as part of Make a Difference Day2004.

Tees CorridorBites

The following are some of the highlights of the activities during the course of theprojects:

During the Tees Corridor Natural Regeneration Project there were:■ 144 structured events (including organised events, guided walks and volunteer

sessions ■ 46 days working with educational groups■ 240 practical days ■ 3300 people involved in the project■ 7850 involvement hours


Volunteers make adifference to theTees Corridor!

Volunteers are vitally important to theproject work of the Tees Valley WildlifeTrust, and the Tees Corridor NaturalRegeneration Project is no exception.Volunteers have been involved in everyaspect of the project with workincluding:

Tuesday Volunteer GroupPeople from across the Tees Valleymeet each Tuesday to carry out workon the Trusts Nature Reserves. Eachreserve needs its own particularmanagement and this is the group ofdedicated volunteers who carry out thework.

Wild-bunchThe Wild-bunch was establishedprimarily to allow local students to getinvolved during their weekly activitiessessions. The short regular session hasproved very popular for manyindividuals, and groups regularlyattend.The Wild-bunch carry out small taskson sites across the Tees Corridor,working not just on Tees Valley WildlifeTrust Nature Reserves, but alsocommunity project sites, local authoritysites, and community sites in bothStockton and Middlesbrough. Thestrong volunteer base and hard workof the Wild-bunch has also broughtbenefits to other projects across theTees Valley.

Weekend Wild-bunchTo provide more opportunities forthose that like to get involved theWeekend Wild-bunch meets every 1st& 3rd Saturday of the month carryingout a daylong activity. This volunteergroup is instrumental to facilitating thelarge-scale conservation projects of theTees Corridor Natural RegenerationProject.

Employee VolunteeringMajor companies from the Tees Valley(including n power, EnvironmentAgency, Barclays, Inland Revenue andCaterpillar Stockton) have encouragedgroups of their workers to get involvedwith the work of the Tees CorridorProjects. Tasks organised provide agreat day out for the work force andpromote team working,communication skills and personalsatisfaction. Skills and experience arethen being taken back to the workplace.npower have shown great support forthe work in the Tees Corridor, with theirgroups carrying out:■ Planting 800 trees on the Saltholme

Nature Reserve■ Constructing 100 metres of surfaced

footpath on Portrack Marsh■ Planting over 500 wildflower plants

and erecting signposts on PortrackMeadows

■ Constructing steps at BrewsdaleNature Reserve

Hartlepool Environmental Action TeamHEAT have become involved in work inthe Tees Corridor in order to gain someskills and experience to help them intheir projects in Hartlepool.

Asylum volunteers activitiesThe “Including You” project allowedasylum seekers and refugees based inMiddlesbrough to get involved inenvironmental volunteering activitiesacross the Tees Corridor.

Educational/Training GroupVolunteering School groups have been activelyinvolved in as part of the TeesCorridor Projects, with many schoolgroups not only visiting the sites,but helping to carry out smallpractical improvements as part oftheir visits.

Abbey Hill School Groups fromAbbey Hill School came out toimprove an area of the formerPortrack Railway line. Their workincluded both the design andimplementation of work to improveaccess and safety for people visitingthe area.

Hallgarth School As part of theirCitizenship studies, children fromHallgarth School have been involvedin implementing conservationprojects for a variety of agencies inthe Tees Corridor. In 2003 their workincluded creating an access path offNewport Bridge into PortrackMeadows. In 2004 the childrenworked for an entire week to cleanup their schools memorial garden.

Shape Training Groups fromShape Training are involved in aprogramme to engage theirconstruction work groups inpractical conservation work. Thisenables them to put the skills theyare learning into practical use.

Stockton Youth Services Youngpeople from Stockton have beenhelping to improve their local areasand learn skills to prepare them forfuture work.

Young Offenders Young peoplehaving served their reparationorders by clearing and improvingareas in the Tees Corridor.

A big thank you to all of the volunteers who have given their time tohelp the work of the Tees Corridor Natural Regeneration Project!

If you are interested in finding out about volunteering please contact Bill AshtonWickett at the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust on 01642 759900.

TEES VALLEY


Documenting the work of theTees Valley Wildlife Trust and its partnershiporganisations in the Tees Valley

Tees Valley Wildlife TrustBellamy Pavilion, Kirkleatham Old Hall, Kirkleatham, Redcar, TS10 5NW

Telephone: 01642 759900 Fax: 01642 480401 Email: [email protected]: www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/teesvalleyTees Valley Wildlife Trust is a registered charity. No. 511068

Supported by Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

TEES VALLEY

BIODIVERSITYACTION PLAN

the tees corridor - tees valley wildlife trust corridor 12pg a4.pdf · 2018. 4. 16. · the origins...

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