North East Community Forest

18/08/2026

We were delighted to team up with Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Environmental Records Information Centre North East and the Natural History Society of Northumbria for a fantastic nature-themed day at The Lighthouse Project in Byker on Friday! 🌿🐞

Families enjoyed a fun-filled day of nature activities, including minibeast hunts, bushcraft, tree ID and nature-based crafts. It was a wonderful opportunity for kids and families to get outdoors, discover more about the wildlife around them and connect with nature🌳😃”

13/08/2026

🌳 What a year!

Together with communities, volunteers, schools, landowners and partners, we planted more than 125,000 trees in the 2025/26 season and helped create new woodland and green spaces across the North East.

Thank you to everyone who has supported, volunteered, planted and championed this work.

Read our 2025/26 Annual Report: click on link below 👇

🔗https://orlo.uk/odIV9

07/08/2026

A warm welcome to Luke! 👋
Luke McGrath has joined the North East Community Forest team on a four-month secondment and has already been out in the field carrying out his first woodland inspection.
Part of Luke's role will involve checking sites that were planted five years ago to see how the trees are establishing and how the woodland is developing.
We're delighted to have him with us and look forward to sharing more from his work over the coming months. 🌱🌳

05/08/2026

‼️🌳 Join a team creating greener places for people and nature! 🌳‼️

Tees Community Forest is looking for an organised, proactive and personable Finance & Administration Officer to support the delivery of our ambitious woodland creation programme across Tees Valley.

As part of England's Community Forests – a national network of 15 Community Forests – we work with landowners, local authorities, businesses and communities to create new woodlands, improve biodiversity and connect more people with nature.

Together, the network has planted more than 10 million trees since the Trees for Climate programme began in 2020, delivering 35% of all Government-funded tree planting in England. During the 2024/25 planting season alone, over 3.1 million trees and 2,500 hectares of new woodland and hedgerows were created, while engaging more than 19,000 local people in woodland and community projects.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role behind the scenes, ensuring our projects run smoothly and our funding programmes are delivered efficiently.

Come and join our team! 💙🧡💚

Click the link below to find out more:

https://lnkd.in/eK7tQ7bH

30/07/2026

A day in the field! 🌱

Our Community Woodland Officer Roy was out this week on one of our NECF planted sites, with Patricia Attridge, a PhD student from Northumbria University, collecting information for her research into soil microbiomes and above ground biodiversity.

Patricia is comparing sites across the region, including allotments and public green spaces, to better understand the connections between life above and below the ground.

We look forward to seeing the results of her work!

27/07/2026

🌳 Proposed woodland creation at South Park, Prudhoe

The North East Community Forest and Woodland Trust are proposing a new woodland at South Park, Prudhoe. The project would see approximately 5,188 trees planted, helping to strengthen the woodland network, create wildlife habitat and deliver long-term environmental benefits, while maintaining public access to the site.

📍South Park, Prudhoe, NE42 5PA
🌳Gross area - 6.87 ha
🌱5,188 trees planted in the 26/27 winter planting season
🐝 New wildlife habitat and increased biodiversity
🚶‍♂️Continued public access to the site

We are currently consulting with local stakeholders and the wider community before the proposal is finalised. The area has been assessed as suitable for tree planting and we are now seeking feedback before the proposal is finalised.

If you have any comments, concerns, local knowledge or information relevant to the site, please get in touch.

Please contact us at;

📧 [email protected]
📅 Consultation closes 7 August 2026

Please share with anyone who uses South Park or lives nearby.

24/07/2026

24/07/2026

Today marks the start of - a week of celebrating our local greenspaces, the people who care for them and the benefits that spending time in our parks can bring 🍃🫶

From dog walks and birdwatching to catching up with friends or taking a break from screens - our local parks provide us with a space amongst nature for all kinds of activities that promote our wellbeing 💚

Links with Nature has been working with volunteers, community members and our partner organisations over the past two years to make our local greenspaces more accessible, nature-rich and safe for both people and wildlife 🤝 Just some recent examples of how Links with Nature have been celebrating our parks:

🌿 Guided nature walks at Herrington Country Park
🍎 Community Orchard sessions at Hetton Park
🧘 Wellbeing taster sessions at Elemore Park
🎨 Ceramic Nature Trails for Hetton Park, Elemore Park and Hetton Lyons Country Park

Why not visit one of your local parks this weekend? 👀🌿

To get involved with these types of sessions and more, check out 👉https://linktr.ee/linkswithnature

Keep an eye out for upcoming events and project updates or register to volunteer (18+): https://tinyurl.com/LWNVolunteer 🌱

Links with Nature is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players.

Coalfield Sunderland Community Let’s Talk HALO- Hetton Sunderland, UK Sunderland Volunteering Sunderland GP Alliance Wear Rivers Trust Elemore Park Friends of Hetton Lyons Country Park Friends of Herrington Country Park Herrington Country Park Hetton Lyons Country Park