Volunteers take a walk on the wild side

Green volunteers in East Boldon have been given a boost in their efforts to create wildlife havens in a local park.

The Friends of East Boldon Parks beat off competition from across the region to win a £3,296 grant from Northern Gas Networks, the region’s gas pipeline company.

The money has already been put to good use planting native trees and introducing bird boxes, they also plan to create a wild planting area and owl roosts to help attract more wildlife into the area.

Secretary of the group Lyn Shaw explained: “A group of local residents formed the group about three years ago with the aim of improving our two local parks, which have been a bit neglected in the past, and encouraging people to use the park on a regular basis.

“We do all our own fund-raising so this grant is a huge boost for us. It means we have been able to plant native trees with the help of local school children and we will be doing more work in the Spring to create a wild planting area. An information board has also been commissioned to aid park users in spotting bird and butterfly species.

“We have already seen more people starting to use the park and we will be holding a range of events to encourage local schools and the community to get involved.”

Presenting the winners trophy from Northern Gas Networks, Duncan Lawton praised the group’s hard work saying: “Northern Green Networks was designed to support local community groups who are getting out there and making a difference to their environment, and this is especially true of the Friends of East Boldon Parks.

“They are doing a great job carrying out environmental improvements to ensure that local people can start to enjoy what has previously been a neglected area.”