NEWCASTLE’S next Alan Shearer could be lacing up donated football boots from a local Newcastle church group this summer. ‘Grassboots’ is the latest community project by a Life Vineyard Church in Marley Hill which gives footwear including football boots and school shoes to those in need. So far around 150 […]
Author: Declan Wiseman
E-Cargo Bikes help North Tyneside business deliver 40 helmets to school children
ELECTRIC CARGO BIKES are helping a North Tyneside business to cut down their carbon emissions on local deliveries while saving time and money with support from North Tyneside council. Bike4health, a community interest company based in North Tyne industrial estate, made their first delivery last week using an Urban Arrow […]
Sunderland firefighter helping to build hedgehog enclosure as hog numbers fall
A Sunderland firefighter is helping to build a safe haven for hedgehogs at St Mary’s School, Sunderland, as part of an awareness campaign for declining hedgehog populations across the country. Chris Smith, a 36-year-old firefighter from Sunderland is working with ecologists and environmentalists from Friends of Backhouse Park to launch […]
Community food and flower gardens to liven up Heaton’s concrete streets and empty backyards
A COMMUNITY food and flower garden is being set up in Heaton by a Newcastle university student, who aims to make use of the concrete streets and empty backyards to grow vegetables and other plants. Jacob, a 31-year-old Ecology and Conservation student at Newcastle University, estimates that there is around […]
Sunderland sisters skydive to raise funds for military veteran charities
TWO SISTERS from Sunderland will take on the challenge of a charity skydive to help raise funds for local causes including military veteran charities. The skydive takes place on Sunday, 23rd May, 11am at Peterlee airfield, County Durham, and is the latest challenge that sisters Eva and Iesha Heads have […]
Lockdown litter louts spoil Tynemouth beaches forcing residents to form community action group
AWARD-WINNING BEACHES in Tynemouth are being spoiled by litter louts who are leaving behind bottles, cans and food waste which has forced residents to take community action. A local swimmer, Mallory Smith, is one of the three founders of Totally Tynemouth Collective, which was set up in response to litter […]
Region’s councils lose millions in car parking fees during pandemic
THE PANDEMIC has hit council car park revenue hard, with some North East authorities making £9 million less in 2020 than in previous years. A combined total of £4.1 million was made across the three highest-earning car parks in each council area in 2020 including Sunderland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North […]
Wildflowers sown on unused council land and car parks converted into gardens during Earth Month
BY PLANTING RAISED beds with flowers and vegetables in car parks, and sowing wildflowers on unused council land, local businesses and allotment owners across the North East are joining the fight against climate change during Earth Month. Earth Month takes place in April every year to raise awareness of climate […]
Demand for North East allotments soars throughout pandemic as gardening enthusiasts seek solace in lockdown
ALLOTMENT waiting lists have tripled in some areas of the North East with “massive demand” for “safe havens” during the pandemic. Over 3.5 times as many green-fingered enthusiasts in Darlington have applied to the waiting lists of three allotment sites in 2021 (274) compared to 2018 (76). The highest average […]
Newcastle allotment holders devastated after greenhouses smashed and sheds broken into
DEVASTATED allotment holders in Newcastle are “shocked” and “heartbroken” after vandals broke into sheds and smashed greenhouses. Many of the members of Greenwater Pool Allotments group in Jesmond Vale have carefully tended to their plots for many years, but this recent act of vandalism is the worst they have seen. […]