Link Together
Restoring nature can make you feel good. Connecting people and wildlife in the Coalfields
Our vision is to help nature recover and ensure a healthy thriving natural environment, rich in wildlife from Tees to Tyne. Alongside this, we are inspiring communities to take action and get involved in caring for their local wildlife whether in their gardens, allotments, nearby greenspaces or nature reserves. It is so important for everyone to have access to nature and be able to enjoy it. Access to good quality greenspaces with natural habitats can lead to a more active and healthier lifestyle.
There is increasing evidence that having contact with wildlife and feeling connected to nature makes you feel better, happier and healthier. Seeing and experiencing wildlife is innately enjoyable, helping to improve mood, reduce feelings of isolation and improve well-being. There is also evidence of improved physical outcomes such as reduced blood pressure, lower stress levels, improved sleep and slower cognitive decline (ref National Academy of Social Prescribing)
Over the last year, with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Sunderland City Council, the Link Together project has been in development. Work has included:
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Developing proposals for 13 greenspaces across the Coalfield which will deliver an ambitious programme to revitalise habitats, create new areas of woodland and wetland, breath new life into local rivers and ensure spaces are more accessible and welcoming,
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Meeting with communities, local groups and partners to develop green social prescribing opportunities and other ways to engage with the project. Residents will be able to join regular activities: trying your hand at practical conservation; spotting and recording local wildlife, and simply enjoying being outdoors in nature, which we can all benefit from.
The development phase of Link Together is now complete. The stage two application for funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund has been submitted. It’s a waiting game until a decision in March! Fingers crossed.
If successful, Link Together, a partnership between Durham Wildlife Trust, Sunderland City Council, and Wear Rivers Trust, will deliver this exciting £2.2million project helping wildlife recover and creating greater opportunities for residents to enjoy greenspace and connect with nature.
Look out for a name change – Link Together will be having a rebrand. Currently, the name Link Together refers to the connections people will form with nature or each other, and greenspace connectivity. However, community feedback suggested the name does not reflect the project as there is no mention of wildlife or nature. So, after much deliberation, look out for Links with Nature.
Over the winter and the long wait until spring, I will be keeping in touch with local communities across the Coalfield and preparing the ground for what will hopefully be the start of the delivery phase in summer 2024.
In the meantime, if you want to find out more about which greenspaces are included in the Links with Nature project and the proposals for each space, please take a look at the following documents.
The Link Together greenspaces are listed in the document below.
Get in touch
If you live in the Coalfield or are part of a group who may want to get involved or have a question about a particular space please get in touch via the contact form.
Anne Gladwin - Link Together Project Manager
Anne Gladwin, Link Together Project Manager: "The Coalfields have a fantastic network of greenspaces, providing areas where wildlife can thrive and people can connect with nature and enjoy being outdoors. Link Together aims to help wildlife by improving grasslands, wetlands and woodlands and putting local people at the centre of nature’s recovery. I am so pleased to be part of this project and looking forward to working with local residents to make a difference for wildlife."
