Inspiring local people to love their wild spaces Newsletter; Edition 4 Autumn 2011

Welcome After such a warm and dry spring, hopes were Future plans include the launch of Little Beck Explorer packs high for a good summer and despite a few hiccups, to borrow from libraries and to use with groups at Children’s we’ve not been disappointed. Thank you to all Centres. A child friendly back pack will be fi lled with equipment those who came along to our summer events, we to help families get the most out of walks along the becks. hope you enjoyed them as much as we did. There will also be information books and stories for follow up activities. Children are naturally curious and we want them to The Teddy Bears Picnics were a great way to enjoy the becks experience the joy of discovering things for themselves in their with games, crafts and tasty treats, in partnership with Sure local green spaces. Start. The bug hunts gave us the chance to take part in a nationwide survey organised by the OPAL Project (Open Air Join our growing band of followers Laboratories); we handed out packs to encourage bug hunters who keep track of the latest news to do their own surveys along the becks. Check out the OPAL on our facebook page and twitter website to see how you can get involved. feed @BoroBecksTeam and upload your becks photos, old and new We took Boro Becks crafts and competitions to the Beechwood on our fl ickr site. And fi nally, Ward Community Gala, Fun Day and Park End Family congratulations to competition Gala and guided walks started again in September after a winner Mrs Reynolds from summer break with a walk up Marton West Beck to Newham Priestfi elds, we hope you enjoy Grange Country Farm and its lovely café. using your new digital camera to take lots of photos of your beck valleys.

The last few months have seen two new projects start up, both funded by the Environment Agency and aimed at helping Flood Partnership communities to become more resilient to fl ooding.

Steven Preston is the Emergency Planning Offi cer with Cleveland EPU Tees Valley and is focussing on getting the right information out to the people who need it and raising awareness of simple measures people can take to prepare for fl ooding incidents. Ideas so far include a calendar featuring artwork by local primary school children and including useful information, contacts and advice. You can learn more about fl ooding at www.environment-agency.gov.uk.

Living Waterways Offi cer Kenny Crooks is based at the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust and is looking to support communities to install features that will help to contain fl ooding and also add to the general biodiversity of rivers and becks throughout the Tees Valley where fl ooding is or may be an issue. We’re looking forward to working with both of them in the future; so much more can be achieved if we come together and pool resources, knowledge and ideas.

Ormesby Beck in Autumn

Contact details; 01642 515618 Boro Becks Round Up Autumn sees the start of more practical improvements along the becks and also marks a year since our project started. Find out below what progress has been made and how you can get involved.

rmesby Beck Mar O ton West Beck Work will begin on the pond this autumn, involving digging Thank you to everyone who came along to our consultation out the new one and using the spoil to fi ll in the old one to events back in July, they gave us lots of ideas about what people help control the Crassula plants. We’re also looking to clear out would like to see and where improvements should go. We will the ditches connecting the pond with the beck to enable water be working with artist Graeme Hopper and children from St voles to move around more freely and expand their population. Edward’s, Beech Grove and Newham Bridge Primary Schools We’ll be installing the bench designed by Graeme Hopper with to turn these ideas in to reality with plans to renovate the two Primary School and also looking at building pond metal bridges across the beck and create seating away from dipping platforms. When fi nished, the pond will be a fantastic housing. We also hope to plant a small number of trees to resource for schools, wildlife and local residents and we plan provide shade in summer and lots of autumn colour. to include pond dipping in our events programme next year. We signed up to Plantlife’s Wildfl ower count in the summer We took part in the Butterfl y Conservation Society’s Big and completed a survey of a 1km stretch of the path down Butterfl y Count this year, counting the numbers seen on two Marton West Beck upstream of Devils Bridge. This provides vital 15 minute walks down information to help scientists monitor the eff ects of climate Beck. The most change on local plant populations. common butterfl y was the Large White but we also saw fresh Speckled Woods down at the meadow which has also provided lots of fl owers for bees this year.

encer Beck Sp Middle Beck

Barry and the volunteers have been busy widening the paths As part of our plan to improve Middle Beck, we visited the site in along the beck behind Park to improve access and are the summer with artist Graeme Hopper and council offi cers to looking to organise thinning out of the woodland area at the look at the bridges across the beck. We now have a clearer idea back of Ormesby School with the Durham Tees Valley Probation as to what we can do to improve their visual impact and make Trust. We’re also in the process of working up projects with them interesting features in their own right. Design workshops the Princes Trust to give young people the opportunity to work will be organised at Park End and Park Primary Schools along the becks and make a positive contribution to their so that local children can really make their mark on their local management. beck valley.

The wildfl ower meadow Barry and Living Waterways Offi cer Kenny Crooks took groups near Ormesby School has of young people down Middle Beck over the summer as part of been cut and raked off the National Citizen and the fl owers planted Service pilot scheme at Easter in the copse for 16 year olds. by Caldicotes Primary They picked litter, School are doing well. The surveyed insects wild strawberries have for the Big Bug really taken off and are Count and generally spreading happily. learned more about their local area and its management.

Contact details; Boro Becks Project, c/o Stewart Park, The Grove, Marton, , TS7 8AR d Activities Events an Wrap up warm and enjoy more free family events, community practical tasks and themed guided walks this autumn. For our outdoor events please dress for the weather, with good footwear and warm, waterproof clothing. Bring a packed lunch and drinks for all day walks. The events are aimed at helping local people explore what is on their doorstep so in most cases, parking is extremely limited; please walk to the events or use public transport. For more details or to book where needed, ring 01642 515618 or email [email protected]. Please note; all children (16 years and under) must be accompanied by an adult.

Sunday 16th October 10.30am-3pm Autumn Family Roadshow Friday 4th November 10.30am-2pm Eston Hills Circular Walk Come along and enjoy free family fun Autumn Amble Follow the Tees Link footpath up Spencer with face painting, children’s crafts Enjoy a 5 mile circular walk with the Beck to Flatts Lane and on to the heady and live animal handling displays with Boro Becks Ranger as we take a closer heights of Eston Hills for an insight in to Animal Story. look at identifying trees and enjoy their the nationally important prehistory of Tuesday 25th October 12-3pm at the contribution to our local landscape. this fascinating area with archaeologist Sutton Estate Residents’ Centre, Collin Please meet at Nature’s World visitor Dr Steve Sherlock. Avenue/Sutton Way centre. Bring a packed lunch and drink. Thursday 27th October 12-3pm at The Please meet outside the Thorntree Park Pavillion, Thorntree Park Saturday 26th November 11am-3pm Pavillion at 10.30am. National Tree Week Family If travelling by car, please meet at Friday 28th October 2-4pm at Roadshow at Charlbury Road Stewart Park car park at 10am for lift Berwick Hills Library Community Centre to start of walk. Minibus provided for Nature Workshopp Celebrate the trees of the becks with a return to Thorntree and Stewart Parks. Give nature a helpingng feast of family fun. Activities include Limited numbers, booking essential. hand this winter bbyy tree seed and bulb planting sessions, mmaking a cosy insectct children’s tree-themed crafts, green shshelter or a recycledd woodworking demonstrations, tree bbird feeder. trails with prizes and willow weaving. Drinks and hot food will be available to buy; all activities and crafts are free.

spare and want to take an active part in managing your green spaces, please Volunteer Update contact Barry on (01642) 515618 or at [email protected] for It’s been a busy summer with Barry and create a better wildlife habitat and bring more information. the volunteers carrying out a multitude colour to the becks. of tasks with help from Sam, our work experience placement. Practical work In the coming months, the thinning of along the becks included balsam bashing the young tree plantations along Marton along Ormesby Beck, footpath clearance West Beck, Middle Beck and Spencer and regular litter picks at all sites. In Beck will begin as Barry works alongside addition, the management of the fl ower the Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust meadows along the becks took up much and Woodland Connections to open up of September. A team from Groundwork the canopies and improve sight lines. strimmed the grass where possible and Trees are precious but give so much it was all hands on deck to rake and more when they have plenty of room to remove it from the sites. This reduces grow and develop. Some, such as hazel, fi re risk, tidies the sites up and most can also be coppiced to provide bean importantly prevents the grass from poles and plant stakes for use on local rotting down and returning nutrients to allotments with a fraction of the carbon the soil. Rich soil allows a few aggressive footprint of imported bamboo. plants such as hogweed and nettles to take over, it’s important that we have New volunteers are always welcome lots of diff erent grasses and fl owers to so if you have time and energy to

Contact details; Boro Becks Project, c/o Stewart Park, The Grove, Marton, Middlesbrough, TS7 8AR bout Out and A Autumn is the ideal season for celebrating trees in our urban landscapes and the vital role they play as wildlife habitats. They are the oldest living things in the world, cleaning our air, regulating the temperature of our towns, giving us shade and shelter, binding the soil together and, on a windy day, they provide a welcome alternative to the urban backdrop of traffi c noise. They shelter a multitude of insects and other creatures all year round; over 400 diff erent types of insect live on oak trees for some or all of their life cycle.

The dramatic changing colours are a visual reminder of the the boundary path preparations trees have to make for winter in order to conserve at the edge of water and survive. Leaves become a liability in winter as they the Ormesby Hall are easily damaged by frosts and storms and so broad-leaved estate. Here, the trees let them go. Before this happens, shortening days and horse chestnut low temperatures causes the green chlorophyll in the leaves to and cherry trees break down, revealing the yellow colour of carotene, another are particularly pigment present all year but usually hidden. As sugars become stunning in red concentrated in the leaves, especially during dry, late summers, and gold. You red anthocyanin can also be seen. A dry summer followed by return through a sunny, dry autumn with cool but not freezing temperatures Stewart Park with creates ideal conditions for an impressive autumnal show. its magnifi cent specimen trees To enjoy this season in all its splendour, follow the paths along such as the stately Marton West Beck to Fairy Dell where as you walk south from evergreen Cedar of Keith Road, the young mixed plantations give way to more Lebanon and walk mature willow and ash trees. Another colourful circular route back down Ormesby takes you up Middle Beck and across Ladgate Lane to follow Beck where mature poplars mark the entrance to the valley.

Autumn isn’t just a season of visual change, it also sees a shift in the sounds of the natural world. As the breeding season comes to an end, the summer warblers fall silent as they concentrate on building up energy reserves by foraging on the ripe fruits and insects for their long migration south. The sedge warblers and whitethroats along Ormesby Beck, the chiff chaff s and blackcaps along Marton West Beck and the willow warblers along Middle Beck; we registered their arrival with a sense of relief and celebration but their departure can be harder to note. By the time this newsletter goes out, the swifts will be long gone, their dramatic and noisy aerial acrobatics above the town consigned to memory, a true sign of the changing seasons. Photos: Kenny Crooks/Wild Places, Barry Jobson, Sammy Brown, Chris Corbett, Zsuzsanna Bird, John’s Studios Chris Corbett, Zsuzsanna Bird, John’s Places, Barry Jobson, Sammy Brown, Photos: Kenny Crooks/Wild paper This Newsletter is printed on 100% recycled

Important numbers If you spot a problem when out on the becks, use the numbers below to report it;

Pollution incidents Rubbish in the becks or along the valleys Environment Agency’s 24-hour pollution hotline Environment hotline 0800 807060 01642 726001 or Freephone 0800 0136001

Contact details; [email protected] / www.middlesbrough.gov.uk