Chair’s Welcome

The importance of the Nature Reserve was highlighted due to the increasing pressure on nature. We need the Reserve to preserve nature, and for people to have green space. Reminder that the Reserve is a LNR (a nationally designated title) which protects rights for nature and people. Thanks were expressed to all those who help to look after the Reserve and Orchard, and to Rose and Jess for the Nature Club that are investing in the conservationists of the future. The importance of the Orchard as a community space was raised, along with teaching skills for growing food.

Skills in coppicing, scything and nature conservation were highlighted, along with opportunities for learning. As the Reserve is quite a small space, with multiple habitats, these skills are necessary to preserve the space rather than “rewilding” ie leaving the space entirely to nature. The importance of volunteers was highlighted to maintaining the balance of habitats.

Thanks to Dot for tireless volunteering, and to Penny for her financial skills as Treasurer. Finally, thanks are expressed to all who contribute to the group.

Don Atkinson
Chair

Clara Vale Local Nature Reserve Annual Report

The nature reserve continues to flourish. And we continue to get praise and thanks from visitors.

It remains a mix of habitats created from the old Clara Vale pit yard. We have a new thirty five year Lease from Gateshead Council to manage the reserve having managed it for the previous 35 years.

As we’ve said in the past, it remains the mix that it is because of careful management by the volunteers who coppice, clear scrub, scythe and rake, primarily throughout the autumn and winter. Many thanks to everybody who has helped,.Without your help, by now the reserve would be mostly scrub and woodland.

There have been no great changes over the past year. The roof on the Alex West Hide was replaced in November. Thank you to everybody who donated to the cost of the replacement. The hide continues to attract many visitors particularly photographers trying to get the ultimate photo of a kingfisher. But many visitors just want to sit quietly and enjoy the wildlife and the view across the river valley. The Woodland Hide attracts fewer visitors. In summer it is very quiet but when we start feeding the birds in late October there is much more to see. In particular, it is used as a base for visits by the Northumbria Ringing Group led by Richard Barnes. Their ringing sessions give visitors a rare opportunity to see birds very close up and find out about how and why birds are ringed and are greatly enjoyed particularly by the children who come along. The Ringing Group is also very appreciative of the interest shown in what they do and the questions visitors ask. We expect the monthly ringing sessions to start again in November, usually the first Saturday or Sunday in the month, through until April. We’ll let you know nearer the time. If you haven’t been, go along: you’re in for a treat.

Between June last year to Date, the Ringing Group have ringed 154 new birds and recaptured 90 previously ringed birds. All of the latter had been previously caught and ringed in the reserve. The new birds include a kingfisher, 2 goldcrests, 1Yellowhammer, 5 redwing , 1 siskin, 1 nuthatch, 2greenfinch. and a great spotted woodpecker. The most frequently ringed birds are blue tit 73, great tit 20, robin13 and coal tit 12.
Richard Barnes also monitors the 37 nest boxes in the Reserve. The boxes were originally put up for tree sparrows, a bird that has declined by 93% since 2008, and they were very successful for several years with many boxes being used several times each summer. Around 600 tree sparrow chicks were ringed over six years. In 2023 the numbers crashed and only 3 boxes were used since then no tree sparrows have bred in the reserve and now are very rarely seen.
This year 18 boxes have been used but only by blue tits and great tits. The blue tits have raised 72 young and the great tits 24. Many thanks to Richard and the Northumbria Ringing Group for their support.

Other bird highlights: Ring necked parakeets were very visible and audible around the Reserve and in the village throughout the winter and spring with up to 5 being seen. Over the past two months they have been seen less, presumably having failed to find suitable nest sites locally. They may get established here but there very few suitable nest holes in the reserve. They are more likely to find somewhere in Eels Wood. There is still very little evidence that they having an impact on native species but that could change. Little egrets are now being seen fairly regularly. And Buzzards successfully bred nearby and are frequently seen over the village.
The hides are a great place to sit and watch birds and other wildlife. You will need a key which also gives access to the four other hides in Gateshead.

Unfortunately the Woodland Hide has suffered some vandalism, the door was partly kicked in but it’s been repaired.

Flora

A big attraction of the Reserve is the variety of wild flowers that can be seen. Whilst there is nothing particularly rare, it has a rich diversity in what is is a very small area (around 6 acres). Because of the mix of habitats and our management of the reserve, around 200 flowering plants have been recorded.
The species mix does change over time. This year the has been a good show of ox-eye daisies in the paddock and ragged robin has returned to the pond edge in the main reserve. Orchids are still present but not in the same numbers as in the past. Three species can be seen: Northern Marsh Orchid, Common Spotted Orchid and Broad-leaved Heleborine.

Butterflies, moths etc

Seventeen butterfly species have been recorded in the reserve. Over the years we have lost some: Dingy Skipper and Wall but gained a couple: Ringlet and Speckled Wood. Climate change is one of the drivers so it is likely we will gain and lose a few more in the coming years.

There are 2500 different moths in the UK compared with 57 different butterflies. Their importance as pollinators is increasingly recognised. David Howden has had several overnight trapping sessions in the Reserve and has caught 158 species.
We put on a demonstration for the Nature Club in September and were able to show the children 58 different moths caught the previous night. As the children discovered, moths come in all shapes, sizes and colours, not just the little brown jobs that are clothes moths. We hope to be able to have another mothing demonstration later this summer. We’ll keep you informed. Thank you to David and Penny and Colin for the use of their garden.

As well as butterflies and moths, dragonflies and damselflies are the other big visible insects you can see in the reserve. Seven different dragonflies and and six different damselflies have been recorded here. There are only 56 different species in the UK so this is a decent number for such a small reserve and again reflects the variety of habitats here.

There are of course many, more, beetles, flies, spiders, bugs, slugs and snails waiting to be discovered in the reserve. For example there are around 6000 different flies and 4000 different beetles. Identifying them is a challenge

Mammals

The largest mammal you are most likely to see in the reserve is a roe deer. Over the winter and spring a family of a doe, two well grown fawns and a stag could be seen most days. They seemed much less wary of humans than usual. Grey squirrels and rabbits are the other most seen mammals but there are voles, mice and shrews keeping out of sight in the grass and scrub. Badgers are active in the reserve as their diggings along the footpaths show, but they are not often seen. Foxes are here but seem to have become scarcer or more wary of humans or have become urban foxes.
Bats can be seen at dusk. They are mostly the Common and Soprano Pipistrelles but there is also Daubenton’s Bat which can be seen feeding over the ponds and the Noctule Bat which is one of Britains largest, with a wingspan of up to 45cms.

Stoats and weasels are occasionally seen, most frequently from the Alex West hide, hunting around the edge of the pond.

Amphibians

Frogs remain scarce in the reserve. Toads are far more common. Autumn can see hundreds of toadlets only about half an inch long wandering around the reserve looking for somewhere to hibernate. It will be 5 years before they are ready to breed. Most of that time is spent out of water. The smooth newt is the only newt we have in the Reserve. Great crested newts haven’t reached here yet from the ponds on the other side of the village.

Conclusion

Although the Reserve is small it provides a valuable haven for wildlife increasingly threatened by urban spread and intensification of agriculture. It is also a resource to the wider community. The value of spending time surrounded by the natural world is now widely accepted as important for helping improve mental health. We’re lucky to have it on our doorstep, go out and enjoy it.

Gordon Pollinger

Community Orchard Annual Report

Weather

The hot dry weather in 2025 was a significant challenge with the trees and other vegetation showing significant signs of stress. Perhaps the only positive was that the paths needed less strimming and the apples, that whilst quite tart, were abundant and made lovely juice. 2026 has been a little kinder weather wise. Although the ground is still very dry and the pond needs regular top ups, the trees and vegetation seem healthier.

Pruning

The orchard and fruit trees are now starting to look well managed, with good open “goblet” shapes and mostly good picking height thanks to all the volunteers hard work on pruning days over the last few years. We continue to get a good number of volunteers turning up for pruning days, winter and summer. Details of summer pruning day coming soon.

Apple Day

Apple Day 2025 was a huge success, with sweet apple juice (with Josh enthusiastically leading the juicing volunteers) and apple fritters (courtesy of Don giving John a well earned rest). There was a genuine sense of community as people worked together to make the juice, it was really palpable. Perhaps the highlight though was the children’s musical parade from the Hall to the Orchard, something that I think made everyone smile. Thank you to everyone who helped make this one of the best apple days in my memory, from those helping out in the Hall with refreshments or children’s activities, to making juice and fritters in the Orchard, to everyone in the community who came and brought all their joy and enthusiasm.

Pond

The pond continues to establish with less green algae this year as the water finds balance. The natural water flora colonisation is going well and I have added some additional water plants and oxygenators over the last year to accelerate the colonisation process. Observed wildlife regularly includes damselflies, dragonflies, water boatmen, pond skaters, beetles and smooth newts. No sightings of the great crested newts this year, but they are harder to see due to the increase in pond vegetation.

Biodiversity plan

There isn’t a huge change in casually observed wildlife or wildflowers, but the path edges are full of wildflower colour throughout the spring and summer, and the wildflower bar created by Nature Club was awash with colour this year, and I’m hoping some of the seed will spread out into the orchard.

Volunteering

Regular tasks including strimming the paths to maintain safe access, topping up the pond in hot weather and regular safety checks and remediation.
As the orchard manager I didn’t have much time in last year due to other commitments and so the volunteer activities has been much reduced apart from the above mentioned Apple Day and Pruning Days.
I’m hoping to have more time for the rest of 2026 and am thinking about some previously discussed larger projects including restoring the steps to the upper slope to have an additional quiet bench, and maybe a second pond or something else in the far triangle that is mostly raspberry canes. Keep an eye on the Orchard email list for updates.

Community Feedback

I don’t receive much feedback about the apples or membership scheme, but I continue to regularly hear from people in the community that they appreciate being able to go and sit quietly in the orchard, or they enjoy taking visiting friends to see our community orchard, or they value taking their children for some “together” time.

Mike McFarlane
Community Orchard Shepherd

Nature Club Annual Report

We are now into our 5th successful year of Nature Club. This year 17 children have attended with an average of 9 children at each session. We continue to meet once a month on a Saturday morning usually in the Nature Reserve but sometimes in the Community Orchard, the Centenary Garden or in the grounds of the Village Hall.

This year we have had a particular focus on working towards the Green Tree Badge award. This is a national initiative promoted by the Royal Forestry Society and Bag of Ethics. Each month we have taken one of the topics from the Green Tree Badge activity book and made it relevant to our environment here in Clara Vale. We have measured trees in the Village Hall to estimate their age and height discovering that they were probably planted when the school (now the Village Hall) first opened around 1900. We also looked at photos of the pit site when the Clara Vale mine was closing in the 1960s. We used the photos to investigate how nature has reclaimed this industrial site and how it has been transformed into a nature reserve. In the Autumn, working with the village volunteer garden team, children raked up the leaves in the Centenary Garden creating heaps which will become leaf mould to mulch the plants in a year’s time. By the end of June, thirteen children had completed a wide range of challenges for their Green Tree Badge award. We held a celebratory afternoon tea in the Village Hall where the children were presented with their badges. Some of the children ran their own fund-raising stalls.

Another highlight of the year was the unveiling of the Apple Day banner made with printed fabric squares designed by the children. On the afternoon of Apple Day in October, families gathered for a procession with the banner from the hall to the orchard with children playing percussion instruments. This was a fitting celebration on the 25th anniversary of our community orchard.

One of the unique aspects of our nature club is its connection to the conservation group. Joining in with conservation projects or observing conservation group volunteers on task days; benefitting from the expertise in the group e.g. for the moth investigation session and learning about how the bird boxes are cleaned and managed to support the bird population are all ways that children are developing a sense of themselves as nature conservationists.

Looking forward to the next year we know there are several four-year olds who will be joining us in September. We will continue to plan around the seasons and respond to what is happening in our green spaces around the village. Children and their parents enjoy the quiet and reflective character of Nature Club. It is an oasis of place and time where children can be immersed in nature away from the business of life and school. Our older cohort of children have developed their knowledge and understanding of wildlife and conservation. For now, they continue to enjoy the group. The wide age range works well for all the children with our older ones taking more of a lead and making suggestions for topics and the younger ones enjoying participating alongside the older children.

Rose Davies and Jess Lloyd
Nature Club leaders