Durham Countryside Service and Volunteers

11/11/2025

A huge thank you to this group of community volunteers for their recent efforts to clean up the countryside at both Broompark Picnic Area and Coxhoe Quarry Woods Nature Reserve.

The group, which has a keen interest in geocaching have been helping tidy up their local green spaces as part of the Cache In Trash Out® (CITO) environmental initiative which aims to help preserve the natural beauty of cache-friendly spaces.

https://www.geocaching.com/cito/

The photo shows just some of the amazing volunteers who joined us. Thank you so much everyone. A job well done! 💪🌿🗑💚

07/11/2025

The wonderful premiere of a community created documentary film. It was a room full of people who care about the community and their local countryside.

The film includes a collection of archive images from The Story Durham and different generations sharing what the lines were, are and could be, all filmed and presented by local young people who had taken part in special skills workshops with local award-winning legend Coalfield Studios. It is now archived and will be a snapshot of life in Shotton Colliery in 2025. Take a look on youtube here: https://youtu.be/1EuwW8y-Efk?si=FJ3vXoWxaKTPftZ_

Well done Shotton Youth Group. Thank you to Shotton CREE and others who were interviewed for the project. Thank you for hosting this so well Shotton Community Hub

06/11/2025

Shotton Meadow Maker Day was a great opportunity to come together as a community and plant the seeds for the future. The meadow will attract wildlife and be an attractive addition to the green space in Shotton Colliery.

The seeds will grow and blossom over the next two years and the site will be managed sensitively to encourage wildflowers. It's an efficient and biodiversity-enhancing way to do it.

Thank you to everyone who came down to help make and throw seedbombs with us.

30/10/2025

May we proudly present a film by Coalfield Studios and different generations from Shotton in partnership with Story Durham

It is all about the special railway line that the Countryside Service now care for with the help of the community.

Thank you to everyone who helped create this and for supporting the preview yesterday. We are very proud of you all.

There are some talented future film-makers in the village.

Once a vital lifeline of County Durham’s coal industry, the railway from Shotton Colliery to ports like Seaham and Hartlepool carried the coal that powered B...

28/10/2025

Lots of fun exploring Ferryhill Carrs Local Nature Reserve on our Bioblitz today. The next one is tomorrow Wednesday 29th October at Malton Picnic Area. Free, 11am-1pm. All welcome.

Malton Picnic Area Bioblitz

26/10/2025

Halloween is fast approaching and today is National Pumpkin Day! 🎃

How do you use pumpkins to help celebrate the season?

We love:

🎃Carving pumpkins into our favourite spooky characters.
🎃Enjoying tasty pumpkin recipes for soup and pumpkin pie.
🎃Putting pumpkins out as seasonal decorations.

However you choose to use the tasty vegetable over the next few weeks please make sure you never leave carved pumpkins out in the countryside. Rotting pumpkins are very dangerous for wildlife, making them very poorly. Please place used pumpkins in your bin or compost heap. 👍

24/10/2025

The Deerness View Car Park at Ushaw Moor, which is regularly used by visitors to the Deerness Valley Railway Path will be closed on Thursday 30 and Friday 31 October. This is to allow for resurfacing works to take place.

We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience while we undertake these improvements.

23/10/2025

🔍What will you find on our bioblitz? Wrap up cosy, bring your picnic lunch and join our community team and Ranger to investigate and record the berries, birds, seeds and fungi to be found in County Durham this autumn. We will bring equipment and guides to get you started. All welcome.

Dates:
Tuesday 28th October 11-1 Ferryhill Carrs Local Nature Reserve
Wednesday 29th October 11-1 Malton Picnic Area

22/10/2025

Another beautiful Autumn morning for our monthly community litterpick in Shotton Colliery today. Thank you to everyone for your support in person, in messages and by sharing these opportunities to keep Shotton tidy.

This month we removed 2 abandoned sledges and 2 broken and burnt bikes as well as lots of other dirty, dangerous rubbish from places where people want to enjoy their local countryside.

We also saw lots of interesting fungi and plants once that was cleared away.

We are getting excited for next week's half term Meadow Makers Day (Thurs 30th 11-2) and documentary screening (3pm Wed 29th) in the village.

If you want to help please come along for a chat, message us or email countryside@durham.gov.uk

21/10/2025

Our Senior Ranger, Adam talks about our incredibly beautiful and valuable Nature Reserve, Aykley Woods. The area has been improved as part of the Aykley Heads - connectivity, woodland and parkland programme. Have you visited yet? 🌿💚

Find out more here 👇

https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/34006/Aykley-Heads-connectivity-woodland-and-parkland-programme.

https://youtu.be/X28IPUad8Mk

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