TODAY’S task is clearing Himalayan balsam from the overgrown banks of Blossom Pond, and 67-year-old Stephen Brown is in the thick of it.

“I absolutely love it – being around good people wanting to make a difference,” says Stephen during a break from tackling the invasive weed in picturesque Hetton Lyons Country Park, once the site of a busy colliery.

The retired Durham University groundsman has been a volunteer since the start of Links with Nature, a £2.2m initiative to help nature flourish on 13 greenspaces, many of which are former coalmining sites.

And, as a descendant of mining families, he represents a proud link between the past and the future.

Stephen, who volunteers three days a week, is a local lad: raised in Houghton-le-Spring, and now living alone in Hetton, close to the Sunderland-Durham border. 

His great-grandfather on his mother’s side was master mason at Hetton Lyons Colliery and was still on the payroll when he died, aged 83, in 1927. His grandad on his father’s side won an award in the 1930s for helping to rescue a trapped miner.

Hetton Lyons Colliery was opened in 1822, leading to George Stephenson developing the Hetton Colliery Railway to transport coal to Sunderland. At its peak, the pit employed more than 1,000 men, and 441 jobs were lost when it closed on July 11, 1950.

Today, the landscape is very different. The 50-acre country park was opened to the public in 1991, having been created from the reclaimed industrial site.

Instead of coal dust, the air is now fresh, with walkers, joggers, and mountain bikers enjoying the network of footpaths, trails and cycleways.

Over the past year, the park has been one of the sites brought closer to nature thanks to Links with Nature, a partnership between Durham Wildlife Trust, Sunderland City Council, and the Wear Rivers Trust, working alongside volunteers from local communities.

The aim is to boost wildlife habitats and improve access to countryside close to homes, while restoring wildflower meadows and opening up woodlands to enhance biodiversity.

As well as a café, the park – home to Hetton Hawks Cycling Club – comprises three meadows, plus wooded areas, and wetlands. 

Anglers fish peacefully in “the big lake” while, over at the smaller Blossom Pond, nature is being given chance to breathe. Recent evidence points to otters feeding on freshwater mussels, reed warblers are frequently spotted, and there’s potential to restore wetland habitat for water voles.

Made possible by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Sunderland City Council, North East Community Forest, and Northumbrian Water’s Bluespaces programme, it has now reached the halfway point of its two-year programme.

As well as Hetton Lyons Country Park, the Links with Nature project encompasses Hetton Bogs, Hetton Park, Elemore Country Park, Elemore Vale, Copt Hill, Herrington Burn at Shiney Row, Herrington Country Park, Flint Mill, Hazard Railway and Woodland, Keir Hardie Park, Red Burn at Rainton Meadows, and Success Railway.

Progress so far includes:

• 5,124 metres of footpath improvements
• The planting of 6,146 trees
• 120 metres of new boardwalks
• 3,520 volunteer hours invested by 100 volunteers
• 16 new wetlands created
• Nearly 900 people attending events, walks or nature-based activities
• The addition of 14 gates and styles, plus a new footbridge.

For project manager, Anne Gladwin, the first year has gone even better than she’d hoped.

“We’ve already made a significant difference to the green spaces, and the community engagement has exceeded expectations,” she says.

“Seeing the way communities have come together to have an impact on their own environment, has been the most rewarding part.

“As well as the conservation work, the volunteers have also removed a lot of rubbish and fly-tipping, so the sites look much better, and local people feel more confident about using them.”

Encouraged by what’s been achieved, Durham Wildlife Trust is talking to Sunderland City Council and other partners about legacy options so the good work can continue beyond the initiative’s initial two-year lifespan.

When it began, Anne was Links with Nature’s sole employee, but Pip Jackson has joined as engagement officer, along with Chris Knox-Wilson as green spaces officer, and Alex Swainston as Hetton Park and Hetton Bogs Officer.

Two trainees – Emyr Hopkins and Hayley Cook – were also recruited for the first year and are making way for Jonathan Phillips and Mandy Walker for year two.

Hedge-laying, tree-planting, fencing, driving off-road vehicles and quad bikes, and working with chainsaws are all included in the accredited training.

In the case of 38-year-old Emyr, helping to open up access to the countryside has also opened a new career path of his own. He’s landed permanent employment as project officer with the Springboard Sunderland Trust, a charity managing Hetton Lyons Country Park and partnering Durham Wildlife Trust through the Clean It, Green It programme, again funded by Sunderland City Council.

Emyr, whose previous jobs have included being a wagon driver and pizza delivery driver, has relished the chance to learn new skills.

“I never really knew what I wanted to do but I’ve always loved being outdoors,” he says.

“Being part of this scheme, working in such a beautiful setting, has been such a great opportunity to get a flavour of the various career paths in conservation. The fact it’s led to a permanent job – in an area I’m passionate about – is fantastic.”

As well as the investment in manpower, the scheme has funded a smart new tractor to manage grasslands and clear footpaths. The recent mechanical arrival will continue to be an asset to the country park for years to come, but it’s the people who matter most.

“The volunteers are essential because local people know the sites better than anyone and understand the importance of helping to shape the landscape for generations to come,” says John Pooley, site manager for Springboard Sunderland Trust.

Stephen Brown is a case in point – an enthusiastic local volunteer, happy that his time is well spent on the landscape where his forefathers toiled as pitmen more than a century ago.

“I had time on my hands when I retired and I wanted to do something useful with it,” he says, pulling up another clump of Himalayan balsam. “It makes me proud, knowing this is where I’m from and we’re making the environment better for the future.”

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