Deepdale Wood environmental project extended to nearby beauty spots

A PROJECT to carry out environmental improvements in a dale beauty spot is to be extended to other areas after Barnard Castle Town Council agreed to back the venture to the tune of £1,000.

Led by the Durham Wildlife Trust, work has been going on in Deepdale Wood, Startforth, for the past couple of years.

It has involved coppicing and thinning out trees, opening up areas to let in more light and improving footpaths in an effort to improve access, allow flowering plants to thrive and attract pollinators and butterflies.

As a result of the council cash, environmental work will now be extended to the lower Demesnes, Flatts Wood and the Tees riverbank.

Again, it will be led by Durham Wildlife Trust which is looking for extra volunteers to help out with the extra work.

Laura Tedstone, Durham Wildlife Trust living landscapes officer, said the intention was to link all the areas to produce a “wildlife corridor”.

“The first thing on the Demesnes is to clear scrub from the grassland,” she said.

“Then we will be working towards improving the path network there.”

Ms Tedstone said a botanical survey would take place in Flatts Wood.

“We need to find out what’s there before we start to manage it,” she explained.

“Then we will be looking at working alongside the Tees bank and improving that habitat.

“We will be putting up nest boxes, reseeding and putting in plug plants.

“Rather than just working in one woodland, which has been very good, we want to link all these sites together.”

Ms Tedstone said the town council money would go towards training volunteers, helping to improve their botanical skills and woodland work, such as coppicing trees.

“There is already a group of volunteers working on Deepdale Wood and we have had excellent feedback on that.

“We are looking to encourage more people to get involved as well,” she said.

“If people don’t want to do the physical work, there is the botanical side of things as well.”

Town councillors decided to back the project after hearing more than £7,500 had been pledged from the likes of the Tesco Bags of Help Scheme, the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust and Durham County Council.

The town council grant covered a £1,000 shortfall.

Cllr Roger Peat said: “It seems very good value – for £1,000 we are getting £8,500 of work done.”

He explained that with volunteers learning the skills involved, when it came to ongoing maintenance, there would be no additional expenditure.

“We can do it ourselves,” he said.

Anyone who would like more information about the project or who wishes to volunteer can email Ms Tedstone at ltedstone@durhamwt.co. uk or call 01388 488728.

Grants sets up Turrets Youth Theatre group for a successful 2018

A YOUTH theatre group has resumed activities for the new year with a spring in its step.

The Turrets Youth Theatre, the junior members of the Castle Players, meet each Wednesday at The Witham.

The group has successfully applied to Teesdale Action Partnership for two grants to support activities for young people in the dale.

Turrets director Rupert Philbrick explained: “These funds were given to support the youth theatre in two ways; by providing funds to secure the core costs of the groups activities over the next 12 months, and a dedicated pot of money to deliver six public workshops throughout 2018.”

Mr Philbrick said these free public workshops would be an opportunity to bring theatre, music and dance professionals who work across the north east and nationally to Barnard Castle to deliver a masterclass not just to the group, but to anyone else that wants to take part.

“Not only will this be a chance to learn new skills, but in meeting and working with these practitioners there is the opportunity to learn more about how they have made their journey into working in the arts,” added Mr Philbrick.

“At a point when the arts are ever more absent from curriculum agendas, it’s really important to let young people know that there are still ways to learn and work in the arts.”

The workshop programme is supported by The Witham, a growing partnership that has already provided opportunities for Turrets to work with touring theatre companies, plus £2 tickets for participants that mean monthly theatre trips for the group to see a wealth of diverse and contemporary productions.

If anyone would like to learn more about the upcoming workshops, or register an interest to join Turrets, contact Mr Philbrick via thetur retsofficial@gmail.com

Wednesday sessions take place from 4pm to 5.30pm for junior members of the Turrets; 5.30pm to 7pm for seniors.

'Unacceptable' level of dog mess in Ingleton

CARELESS canine owners are in the crosshairs of councillors in a Teesdale village.

Walkers in and around Ingleton have faced dog mess on shoes and excrement in pushchair wheels in the past couple of months.

Ingleton Parish Council has received more complaints than usual this year and has sought to act with a firm note in the village newsletter.

Last week’s meeting heard how chairman Cllr Steve Leech suffered at the hands of an ignorant dog owner firsthand coming back from a walk with excrement in his shoes.

After the meeting, Cllr Sandra Parrett said: “We’ve had lots of complaints about dog fouling – not just on the playing field and in the village but on the public footpaths as well.

“It’s such a shame – every time I read the paper I see it and think ‘here we are again’.

“Everybody seems to be having the same problem,” she said.

“We don’t know if it’s the same one or two people who just cannot be bothered. It’s awful and it’s such a shame because we’re all animal lovers – I would never dream of doing it.”

The note in the parish newsletter said the problem had become “serious” and now reached “unacceptable” levels.

Fears over a “health hazard” were also highlighted for both children and adults – with fines of up to £1,000 for offenders reiterated to serve as a deterrent.

Cllr Parrett added that the council was looking for villagers to come to them with cases so they could pass information on to the Durham County Council dog warden.

She added: “I know a lady who has the courage to go over with a bag to say ‘pick it up’ when she’s sees someone.

“We have got quite a lot of dog bins in the village in very accessible areas – it’s a filthy habit and inexcusable.

“Once again the minority are spoiling it for the majority,” she said.

Cllr Parrett said the council was not going as far as “naming and shaming” offenders but was seeking to “open up a conversation” on the problem for the time being.

Cllr Judith Pressley said the winter weather hadn’t helped the situation, however, she did not think the problem was any worse than usual.

She added: “It’s always a problem in every village you go to and it’s mentioned in every meeting.

“We have one or two areas causing a problem on a regular basis – it’s just catching them and educating them.”

An update on fouling will be given at the council’s February meeting.

Final call for artists to open up their studios

THE final call is being made for artists and makers across the dale to publicly showcase their work this spring.

Teesdale ArtNet, a recently founded networking group for artists, is preparing to bring an open studios project back to the dale during April and May. 

To take advantage of the upcoming event, artists must register to be part of Teesdale ArtNet by Monday, February 12. The group aims to develop audiences for the work of artists living or working in Teesdale through collaboration.

This year’s open studios event will run from Saturday, April 28 to Monday, May 7. During this time, the artists will invite the public to visit them in their studios.

Meanwhile, The Witham, in Barnard Castle, will host a showcase exhibition giving people a taste of the artists’ work. This will take place from April 26 to May 26.

Group secretary Judi Caplin said: “By joining the group, artists get a presence on the website and social media publicity too. They also get an opportunity to take part in open studios.

“It is the major event of the year which will run concurrently with an exhibition at The Witham. Last time I think everyone found it very productive in terms of inspiration and creativity. It gave them sales too.”

Funding applications have already been submitted by the group’s committee to try to develop the organisation and help deliver a more diverse programme of events. If successful, Teesdale ArtNet will provide a bus tour service during the open studios project. This will provide minibus transport to the studios in dale villages.

Ms Caplin said: “I think it is great for visitors to Teesdale who don’t really know where they are or for people living in Teesdale who don’t have transport.”

It is also hoped that the group will be able to host art workshops for adults, children and families in village halls as well as offering artist members professional development opportunities.

A brochure detailing all events will be available in March.

Membership costs £50 and £20 for concessions. Artists can join the group after February 12 but will not be able to be part of the open studios event. For more information visit www.teesdaleartnet.org.uk.