Brinkburn & Hesleyhurst Parish Council brings the local community together for a Biodiversity Day 2025
On Saturday, 5 July, Brinkburn & Hesleyhurst Parish Council’s Biodiversity Group welcomed community members and local environmental organisations to their annual Biodiversity Day, celebrating two years of active delivery under their five‑year biodiversity plan.
The Biodiversity Group shared information on a number of projects they are delivering as part of the five-year plan including:
- Deploying specialist surveying software to establish a baseline for the area’s biodiversity
- Conducting water quality monitoring on the River Coquet
- Installing bird boxes across the parish with support from local landowners
- Training volunteers in traditional hedge-laying and renewing historic hedges
- Organising community litter-picking events
- Planting native wild flowers
Other local environmental groups were also given the chance to showcase their work:
- Upper Coquetdale Red Squirrels Group, offering VR experiences to highlight the species’ local importance.
- Living Woods, showcasing plans for a community wood, orchard, and tree nursery on the River Coquet.
- Coquetdale Group of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, unveiling progress on their Sand Martin nesting wall post‑flood, which now supports at least five broods.
- CRAG, a river-quality community partnership in coordination with Northumberland Rivers Trust, Environment Agency, and the Co‑op Community Fund.
Bringing all these groups together not only demonstrated the fantastic local commitment to environmental issues but gave a chance for them to explore how they might work more closely together in the future to benefit the local area.
The event was originally planned to take place in a marquee that Simonside Country Show but when the winds were too strong that weekend to allow the marquee to be erected. Wingates Village Institute offered the use of their building at the very last minute
The Biodiversity Group, Living Woods, Wildlife Group, Simonside Show and Wingates Village Institute have all received funding from The Wingates Wind Farm Community Fund, which provides approximately £45,000 annually across five parishes, dedicating over £270,000 in grants since 2014.
The fund is administered by Community Action (CAN) on behalf of the wind farm operators Nadara, and decisions about the grants are made by a panel made up of representatives of the local community.
Julia Plinston from Community Action Northumberland said:
“The event was a great opportunity to see the impact of the fund on the local area. It was fantastic to see how all the different projects support each other to deliver more than the sum of their parts to support this vibrant community in achieving local ambitions.
ENDS
About the Wingates Wind Farm Community Fund
The fund provides annual grants, with awards typically ranging from £250 to £5,000, to community-focused projects in Brinkburn & Hesleyhurst, Longhorsley, Netherwitton, Nunnykirk, and Rothley & Hollinghill. The decisions on grants are made by a panel of reps from the parish councils.
Administered by Community Action Northumberland on behalf of the wind farm operator Nadara, the scheme has invested in over 120 projects, including community building enhancements, cultural events, and environmental initiatives.
About Community Action Northumberland
Community Action Northumberland supports individuals and organisations across Northumberland to build their skills and capacity, and promotes rural issues.
For more information, contact:
Carrie Brookes, Communications Consultant
carrie@ca-north.org.uk | www.ca-north.org.uk