Wildflower walk; Katrina Martin / 2020VISION
Local Wildlife Groups
At the core of every Wildlife Trust are local people. From the Tees to the Tyne our members shape what we do.
Local needs, local knowledge and local expertise form the foundation of our work. Durham Wildlife Trust was founded by local volunteers who decided there was a need for action to be taken to conserve wildlife and special places in their area. Today, we have much the same focus and our Local Wildlife Groups help us to maximise our local impact.
Durham Wildlife Trust members’ groups are made up of like-minded people who share a passion for the area in which they live and a desire to increase their own wildlife knowledge. Local groups host talks and walks; some of them take on survey work or develop species projects. And of course local groups are great place to have fun, meet new people and socialize with old friends!
Our Local Wildlife Groups
Washington Wildlife Group
Meet at Washington Old Hall at 7.30pm on the last Wednesday of every month
Gateshead Wildlife Group
Meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the month in St Helen’s Church Hall, Low Fell at 7.15pm. To view details for this group visit their website here https://gatesheadwildlifegroup.weebly.com/
DWT Botany Group
Based at Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve this group take part in walks, talks and surveys across the region throughout the year. For more information please visit our page.
Darlington Wildlife Group
Meet on the 3rd Thursday of the month at Cockerton Methodist Church at 7.30pm.
Lanchester Wildlife Group
Our group has been around for nearly 40 years. We’re not exclusively ‘Lanchester’ based ! Folks join in from across Durham and further afield. We are enthusiastic about wildlife in general and range from complete novice to knowledgeable, everything from botany to bugs and badgers to bats.
In addition to our annual programme of activities, we arrange a few more spontaneous meet ups. Why not come along and be a bit batty with us, have a go at using a bat detector.
Meet: second Tuesday of the month at Lanchester Community Centre Small Hall for 7.30pm, ending by 9pm. During the pandemic we’ve been using Zoom and currently zoom the ‘live’ presentation to homes as well. In June, July & August, we move outdoors for field trips, not always on Tuesday evenings.
Membership: £8 pa, due January or at our December AGM / Quiz night. We welcome folks to participate for the year beforehand and welcome family, friends or anyone wishing to join an occasional meeting.
Contact details:
Elaine Williams: 01207 520063
Anne Kelly: lanchesterwildlifegroup@outlook.com
Middleton-St-George Wildlife Group
Meet on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm in the W.I. Building, Middleton St George.
Rainton Meadows Wildlife Group
Meet on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 7pm at Rainton Meadows Visitor Centre.
Land of Oak & Iron Wildlife Group
Meet throughout the year at a range of locations throughout the Land of Oak & Iron area for training opportunities, guided walks and developing and sharing skills in species identification and recording. In addition the group take part in a variety of evening talks and social opportunities in the winter months. Please see www.durhamwt.com/events for upcoming events and courses
Rainton Meadows Wildlife Photography Group
Meet on the 1st Wednesday of the month (AM) at Rainton Meadows Visitor Centre. Meetings start at 10.00am and close at 12.30PM. The Annual membership Fee is £10 and there is a further charge of £1 per meeting attended. Membership of RMWPG includes membership to the other photography group, based at Low Barns Nature Reserve.
Low Barns Photography Group
Meet on the 1st Monday & 3rd Wednesday of the month (PM) at Low Barns Visitor Centre. Membership to LBPG includes membership to the Rainton Meadows Wildlife Photography Group and vice versa.
If you would like to know more about these groups use the contact form below and we’ll put you in touch with the right person. Make sure you specify in your message which group you would like to contact.