Groundwork North East is an environmental charity working across the North East and Cumbria. We make change to create better neighbourhoods, build skills and job prospects and help people live and work in a greener way.
We are currently working with the Burradon and Camperdown Forum and Burradon School on an exciting new project focusing on Burradon Pond.
With the help of North Tyneside’s Biodiversity Officer, Rachel Flannery we have worked together to develop a project idea to help increase the biodiversity at the pond and local awareness of what wildlife, flora and fauna can be found at the pond and surrounding area.
We are hoping to raise funding from the National Lottery’s Your Heritage programme to support the project which will include:

Conducting a wildlife survey at the pond and school with school children and local residents. This will help us establish what wildlife is present in the area and whether the Great Crested Newt is resident in the pond.
Producing interpretation panels showing illustrations of and information on the wildlife that can be found at the pond. School children and local people can again be involved in this by taking part in workshops and helping to design the panels and possible activities for people to do.
Improvements to the pond including possible stone packing of the shoreline to prevent erosion, introduction of shoreline and underwater habitats to encourage more variety of wildlife and greater diversity of oxygenating plants and creation of a floating island for wildlife.
Further environmental education at Burradon School with the introduction of a bird hide and planting to attract birds and insects and improvements to the existing pond including a solar powered pump to keep the pond oxygenated. The school will also take part in workshops around the wildlife in their nature garden and at the pond.
Producing an information leaflet about the pond’s wildlife which can be downloaded.
If you are interested in the project and would like to lend your support or take part please contact:

Groundwork North East

Joanne Morley
Senior Project Officer
Groundwork North East