Durham Wildlife Trust

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Durham Wildlife Trust

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Protecting wildlife and promoting nature conservation from the river Tees up to the river Tyne. See our website to find your nearest reserve.

Durham Wildlife Trust manages more than 900 hectares of land, a variety of species and habitat recovery projects and two visitor centres. We also run an environmental education programme which engages schools and community groups in issues around nature conservation and the wider environment. For details on what to do if you witness a wildlife crime, visit www.durhamwt.com/faqs

28/10/2026

A shout out to our wonderful volunteers! They have been busy at Low Barns Nature Reserve, wading into the wetlands to cut back reeds, helping keep this rare habitat healthy and thriving. Read more 👉 https://www.durhamwt.com/blog/reed-all-about-it

27/10/2026

🌊 A huge thank you to the team at Prysmian for joining us for a Wild Work Day on Seaham beach as part of the Great British Beach Clean 2026!

As well as clearing litter, the team collected valuable data for the Marine Conservation Society. That data feeds into a nationwide survey that helps drive conservation efforts around our coastline.

🪣 What we logged:
• 13 bags of litter removed from the beach
• 544 items recorded within our 100m survey area
• 71% plastic
• 33% linked to public littering
• 21% linked to fishing activity

Brilliant teamwork, meaningful data, and a cleaner coastline. 💙

Interested in a Wild Work Day for your organisation? Get in touch to find out how your team can make a difference 👉 https://www.durhamwt.com/wild-work-days

25/10/2026

What's next for Rainton Meadows?

Visit our online showcase to discover our plans for the future of Rainton Meadows following the expansion of the reserve. Find out how we'll be restoring habitats, helping wildlife thrive and improving access to nature, while sharing your own thoughts and ideas.

https://www.durhamwt.com/rainton-meadows-showcase

24/10/2026

🔊 Sound on!

🦇 Pipistrelle bat captured on camera at Herrington Country Park.

The noise you can hear is it echolocating. The sound was picked up via a bat detector because its frequency is too high for the human hearing range. If you listen closely you can hear an occasional raspberry noise which is the bat eating!

22/10/2026

🏞️ A river is so much more than its course. A healthy river is connected to the landscape around it. Learn more in our latest blog 👉 https://www.durhamwt.com/blog/rivers-reach

21/10/2026

Support our work for wildlife by donating to Durham Wildlife Trust

20/10/2026

What's Next for Rainton Meadows?

Join us for a guided walk and discover our plans for the future of Rainton Meadows following the expansion of the reserve. Find out how we'll be restoring habitats, helping wildlife thrive and improving access to nature, while sharing your own thoughts and ideas.

Book now!

📅 Sat 24 October, 11.00am → https://www.durhamwt.com/events/2026-10-24-rainton-meadows-past-present-and-future-showcase-guided-walk
📅 Tues 27 October, 1.30pm → https://www.durhamwt.com/events/2026-10-27-rainton-meadows-past-present-and-future-showcase-guided-walk
📍 Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve

20/10/2026

🦇 Buzzing about bats. Our Connecting Through Nature team took a small group on a bat walk at King George V Park in Pennywell recently. We’ve also been working with local people to make and decorate bat boxes, which will be installed in the park soon, to encourage more of our flitting friends to make the space home.

🌳 Get involved 👉 https://www.durhamwt.com/connecting-through-nature

19/10/2026

Get ready for some SPOOKTACULAR fun this Halloween with Durham Wildlife Trust at Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve! With hauntingly good guided walks, spooky stories, Halloween crafts and much more, you are sure to have so much fun. 👻🎃

Fore more information, visit our event webpage here 👉 https://www.durhamwt.com/events/2026-10-31-durham-wildlife-trust-halloween-spooktacular

18/10/2026

🦔 Have you seen a hedgehog recently?

Our hedgehog survey is still open, and we’d love to hear from you! Whether you've spotted a hedgehog in your garden, local park or out on a walk, your sightings can help us build a better picture of how hedgehogs are doing across the region.

Share your hedgehog sightings here 👉https://www.durhamwt.com/form/hedgehog-survey-2026

Take part today and help us protect these much-loved mammals. 🧡

Address

Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve
Houghton Le Spring
DH46PU

Website

http://www.durhamwt.com/

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