David Leyshon

It is with much sadness that to report the death of David on the 1st June 2019

He was a life-long member of the Ramblers Association and a stalwart of the Cleveland Group.

He will be remembered for his huge contribution to the Ramblers in the Northeast.

His unfailing enthusiasm for any project where his help and experience were needed was invaluable in solving many problems and his encylopedic knowledge of paths in this area will be sorely missed

His contribution to the Ramblers Association on both Footpaths and Treasury matters was immense.

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HELP WANTED

Hi Cleveland Ramblers, We are increasingly requiring more Walk Leaders to help support our Walking for Health Hambleton Strollers in the area. We now operate totally on a voluntary basis as a subset of the Ramblers organisation and thought you may be able to help us please ? We lead 360 free walks annually in Hambletons six major towns, namely Northallerton, Bedale, Thirsk, Easingwold, Stokesley & Gt.Ayton and the walks range from 1/2 hour starter walks, 1 hour standard walks to 1 1/2 hours more advanced walks, so as you can see the demand for walk leaders is high. Volunteers do not need to be walk leader trained as Training can be provided, We would also be looking for some volunteers to help us on our Management Committee if you know any people that may be interested ? If you are able to help us in any way it would be very much appreciated. For more details please do not hesitate to contact me. Regards Jim Forrest Hambleton Strollers Coordinator Hambleton Strollers 2018 07514 240 227 HambletonStrollers2018@gmail.com

Kind Regards

JIM

HambletonStrollers2018@gmail.com

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England Coast Path- Newport Bridge to North Gare - NOW OPEN 18 Sept 2019

The short (16km) Newport Bridge to North Gare stretch forms a critical, new part of the England Coast Path. The path links the towns of Billingham, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool (populations in excess of 260,000), along with key tourist attractions at the Transporter Bridge, RSPB Saltholme with its visitor centre and the Teesmouth National Nature Reserve to the rest of the country via the England Coast Path. Stretches to the south as far as Filey, North Yorkshire and north to Amble, Northumberland are already open and link directly with the Newport Bridge to North Gare stretch, creating a new, 156 mile long National Trail.

The path aims to open up this fascinating area to visitors, both from the local area and from afar, encouraging open air recreation with all of its well documented health and wellbeing benefits, in addition to supporting local and regional tourism.

Natural England has worked alongside a range of other organisations over recent years to ensure a joined up approach to project development and nature conservation in this area. This partnership, branded the ‘North Tees Natural Network’ comprises Stockton Borough Council, Hartlepool Borough Council, RSPB, INCA (Industry Nature Conservation Association), the Environment Agency, Natural England, Teesmouth Field Centre, Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, Tees Rivers Trust and Teesside Environmental Trust. A principal strategic objective of the group is to improve access to and between key sites in the area, including the establishment of the North Tees Trail. This also forms a major strategic project under the River Tees Rediscovered Landscape Partnership, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players and awarded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund programme. The East Saltholme Causeway is an essential component of this access infrastructure: https://www.riverteesrediscovered.org/north-tees-trail.

The cost of developing the England Coast Path through this area has been significant- approx. £800,000. A number of factors have contributed to the costs:

Ø The area had very little current access before work started- well over half of the stretch is brand new access.

Ø Historically this area was reclaimed from the sea, and is very wet in several places, especially in winter.

Ø The presence of heavy industry in the area has introduced additional costs due to the amount of infrastructure; pipelines, roads, railways etc on the ground (and often underground) along with understandable security concerns.

Ø The importance of the area to conservation cannot be overstated. The presence of an RSPB reserve, a National Nature Reserve, a recently enlarged European Special Protection Area and Sites of Special Scientific Interest add to the attractions and interest of the stretch, but also to the costs and complexities of the works.

In order to find these significant costs the partnership is very grateful for the contributions provided by both Stockton and Hartlepool Borough Councils, the Teesside Environmental Trust, the National Lottery Heritage Fund (via the River Tees Rediscovered Landscape Partnership and Groundwork), the European Union Rural Development Programme for England and Natural England.

The Rediscovering Skills team ‘Galvanise’ a team of 6 apprentices managed by Groundwork, has also delivered sections of the work on the route gaining new skills, connecting with their landscape and increasing their future job prospects.

Natural England is grateful to the following organisations for their financial support and advice throughout the project.

Groundwork NE & Cumbria work on hundreds of projects every year, helping communities find practical solutions to challenges they face. The River Tees Rediscovered Landscape Partnership, with funding raised by National Lottery players and awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is an exciting initiative involving a wide range of partners, stretching from Piercebridge to the mouth of the Tees.

Our vision is for the Tees Valley to be renowned for its rich landscape, heritage and culture. We aim to connect people and communities to the built and natural heritage within the Tees Valley, bringing our heritage to life, by offering new ways for people to see, hear, touch and enjoy it. The North Tees Trail which form part of natural England’s ‘England Coast Path’ is one of a series of projects which helps to increase access to and learning about our landscape and its heritage.

We hope you enjoy it!

Lucy Chapman

River Tees Rediscovered Partnership Manager.

Andrew Best

Senior Adviser, Natural England.

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The future of England’s National Parks was discussed at a meeting of Campaign for National Parks’ council this month. The Glover review of England’s designated landscapes was at the top of everyone’s minds as Julian Glover joined council for a question and answer session.




 

Could you be our new chief executive?

Campaign for National Parks is looking for a new chief executive as Fiona will be moving on to a new role in late January after a number of happy years leading the organisation. So we need a new chief executive to lead the only national, independent charity dedicated to protecting, improving and promoting England and Wales’ National Parks.

Chair of Campaign for National Parks, Janette Ward, said: “Throughout its history Campaign for National Parks has a powerful reputation for taking on the issues facing the National Parks. That includes the relentless pressure for development, the need to improve the experience of beauty within the landscape (including wildlife) and the need to improve sustainable access to these special landscapes. Navigating these issues and applying pressure at the highest levels of Government and elsewhere will be a priority for the new chief executive.” Click here to hear more from Janette about this role.
 
The deadline for applications is 10am on Friday 14 December.
 

Click here to read more about this exciting opportunity.

News

1. North Yorkshire & Cleveland Coastal Forum. https://coastalforum.wordpress.com/

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2. Ramblers Walking Holidays operates a scheme called The Walking Partnership, which makes a financial contribution to local groups when a holiday is booked. The contribution is triggered when an individual member or group of members books a holiday and nominates their local group at the time of booking.

The payment is calculated over a 6 month period. All holidays that have taken place during the six months which  were nominated by an individual member or group of members at the time of booking are included. Please note the nomination must be done before the holiday and cannot be paid retrospectively.

In order to qualify please complete this form Download Application Form. Remember when you book your holiday with the company please quote the name of your group, XXXX . Your group will then receive a contribution of £10 per person on UK holidays, £20 per person on short haul holidays, and £30 per person on long haul holidays. This extra funding could really make a difference!

If you make a private group booking your Ramblers group can also benefit provided it is nominated at the time of booking.
Please visit here for full terms and conditions.

Ramblers Walking Holidays operate group walking holidays in the UK and all around the world. Each holiday is accompanied by a qualified walks leader, so you can leave all the organising to them and just enjoy meeting likeminded people and of course, some fantastic walking. Holidays are graded in terms of difficulty, and there is a full range from sightseeing right up to hut-to-hut mountain treks. Take a look at their website on www.ramblersholidays.co.uk or give them a call on 01707 331133for more details or to order a brochure.

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