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OUR EVENTS PROGRAMME SO FAR
We try to hold an event each month, either an indoor talk at the Village Hall or an outdoor nature walk. If you haven’t yet come along do give it a try – you will find a warm welcome and may go away inspired to do a bit more for nature.
For our UPCOMING EVENTS, please see our EVENTS page.
Email paulinegilbertson@gmail.com if you wish to be notified of future events.
Our past activities include:
SEPTEMBER 2026, WEST CHEVINGTON. Lee Rankin from Northumberland Wildlife Trust took us on a twilight circular walk around West Chevington nature reserve, which is situated on a former open-cast coal mine. It was a glorious evening and we had hoped to see owls and bats, but maybe the full moon was a deterrent to them venturing out before we finished our walk at 8pm – anyway we did hear a Tawny Owl and caught glimpses of a deer and fox. It was nice to wander through the woodland and wonderful to hear from Lee how the site has developed over the last couple of years, with an impressive array of birds and a growing population of red squirrels
AUGUST 2026, POTLAND BURN. Ann and Ellie from Advance Green Futures, a subsidiary of Advance Northumberland, led us on a guided walk around this large “habitat bank” situated between Longhirst and Ashington. Potland Burn is a 268 hectare environmental regeneration project designed to be part of the Biodiversity Net Gain system. Ann and Ellie explained how this system works. They are creating “open mosaic habitats” including ponds, ditches, woodland, meadow and scrub which (put very simply) will compensate for habitats lost on local industrial developments. It’s another former mining site and is already becoming an attractive place for local people to use and enjoy.
JUNE 2026, FEN LETCH. Yet another former open-cast mining site, this time on private land to the north of Ulgham, Fen Letch has been transformed into a flourishing nature reserve by a local family. During our tour of the reserve we were serenaded by Skylarks and admired meadows carpeted in hundreds of orchids. It was a privilege to be made so welcome by the owners, Gillian and David, who were very happy to answer our many questions over coffee and cake afterwards.
JUNE 2026, HAUXLEY NATURE RESERVE. Postponed from May due to bad weather, an extremely knowledgeable Northumberland Wildlife Trust volunteer (and Longhirst resident) led a visit around the reserve’s hides and helped the group enjoy a vast array of different birds.
APRIL 2026, HEPPLE ESTATE. Richard from Hepple Wilds showed us around the Hepple Estate and talked about their ongoing rewilding project (which was featured on Countryfile in January). They are aided and abetted by Longhorn and Highland cattle, Hungarian pigs and Exmoor ponies who graze the estate in a variety of different ways, thereby creating suitable habitats for a wide variety of flora and fauna. We had good views of Siskin, Fieldfare and Buzzard and rounded off our visit with a tour of the tiny distillery and some samples of Hepple Gin, made with their own juniper (of course!).
MARCH 2026, RATTY RESTORED. Mel Rockett, senior advisor to Northumberland LEA and former teacher, gave a fascinating talk on the reintroduction of Water Voles to Kielder, a project on which he has worked for many years. We admired his photos of the lovable little rodents and laughed at his anecdotes – he has not always had a smooth ride, but with the help of his many Northumberland Wildlife Trust volunteers has done a fantastic job reintroducing Water Voles to a very appropriate location.
MARCH 2026, AN ASIAN AVIAN ODYSSEY. Local naturalist and retired medic Mark Welfare delivered an engrossing talk about his recent travels in Asia and the hundreds of exotic birds he saw there.
FEBRUARY 2026, POND LIFE. Ecologist and lecturer Dr Mike Jeffries gave us some fascinating new insights into ponds, and the creatures which live in them, with a special mention of some local ponds. His passion for ponds was infectious!
Prior to 2026 the subjects of our talks included the reintroduction of beavers into Northumberland, gardening for wildlife, using trail cameras to record garden wildlife, trees in winter, bees, bats, and a year in the life of a Morpeth swift. Outdoor events included walks around Longhirst, Morpeth and East Chevington to look for wildlife; moth sessions, a dragonfly & damselfly walk and a ladybird hunt – plus a visit to Northumberland Zoo to hear about their conservation work.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We would welcome more residents of the parish getting involved, not only in our events but also in our occasional working parties. These include improvements to Church Island and Paddock Wood – two projects which will benefit the whole community. Email kimwoolhead@gmail.com to express your interest.