A SENSE of place

The Northumberland Wildlife Trusts’s SENSE (South East Northumberland Sustainable Environment) project is about to add Choppington Woods to the list of reserves it covers so yesterday I took NWT People and Wildlife Officer Heather O’Neill for a walk around the wood. The glorious weather really shows the reserve at its best. Chiffchaffs, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Robins could be heard singing throughout the entire 2 hours that we were walking, 4 Jays flew over together and Siskins were much more widespread than in previous years. Frogs and toads were around the edge of the pond and a carpet of wildflowers sparkled like jewels in the bright sunshine. It’s sometimes hard to believe that the area was once the site of 2 coal mines. Now, with the help of SENSE (and the £10k we were awarded by Wansbeck -You Decide) we can work towards our aim of making Choppington Woods an outstanding community resource; reflecting the area’s industrial heritage and leaving an environmental legacy for future generations. That’s quite something to have outside your office window 🙂